


Dragonheart: Trials of the Arch Mage

by LadyKae



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-05-03 13:18:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14569857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKae/pseuds/LadyKae
Summary: What if when Tarrowlyn's experiment went wrong that it didn't fling her into the far past, but rather pulled someone into the future? In a state of shock; and short lived glee that something had happened, our heroine comes face to face with a man that is outside of his own time. She knows that he cannot stay in this time, but as the weeks pass it becomes apparent that saying goodbye is the last thing she wants to do.Farkas wasn't anticipating being pulled to the future, but he tried to roll with the punches the divines had thrown his way. While he is not trusting of most mage types, he can't help but trust Tarrowlyn and he knows that she is doing everything she can to make good on her promise to get him home. As time goes on, Farkas finds that leaving Tarrowlyn is going to be much harder than he thought possible.





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> This story is going to be a spin off from the prologue of Rise of the Harbinger, and will subsequently focus on the College of Winterhold and the adjoining quests. I'm not entirely certain where the plot bunny came from, but I hope that you all enjoy!

**Prologue**

  


Tarrowlyn Dragonheart was muttering to herself as she shuffled through the papers of her presentation, all the while using magic to float her coffee back over from the end table in the living room. “ I swear if that stupid, pompous git tells me that my research isn’t sound…” she hissed as she then made a copy of the stack before her for Professor Holmar Traven to read.

The year was 189 of the 12th Era , and Tarrowlyn was a full time student at the college of Winterhold. Her area of expertise with her magic was restoration, though she was no slouch when it came to her destruction magicks or when it came to alteration and enchantments. She would admit that she was better with her sword work than an ordinary mage would be when she was forced to carry a blade for ceremonial reasons or for when she was forced into the wilderness to find ingredients for her potions and experiments. That was just a result of her upbringing and despite having grown up in a house full of fighters, she had taken to the arcane arts like a duck to water. It enthralled her, captivated her interest. Wizards had done some of the most amazing feats in history since the fourth era! Things had grown more technologically advanced, thanks to the wizard Calcelmo’s research on all things Dwemer, and Tarrowlyn found herself wishing to see what things could have been like back then. If everything went right with the experiment that she had been outlining for the better part of the last two years, she would be able to take a glance into the past to see what it was like.

It was days like today that Tarrowlyn loved magicka. Hopefully the senechal of the archmage would be amenable to her request concerning this experiment.

 

* * *

 

" The theory is sound, Tarrowlyn,  but where would you get a magicka source powerful enough to do such a thing? I can't allow this to happen on the college grounds unless you have a way of containing it as well."

" I've been reading about an oculary in the dwemer ruins of Mzulft. If I can focus enough starlight to convert it to magicka I believe that will more than sufficiently run the apparatus I have designed. As for containment, I only need a mirror made of quicksilver. The magic would allow me to use the mirror to peer into the past of any given location." Tarrowlyn replied, confidence very evident in her voice.

Holmar Traven sighed as he rubbed his temples. The gift of foresight ran strongly in his line and the more he tried to press the matter of this endeavor that his student wanted to undertake, the more the timelines became distorted. One of them clearly showed her being forced to her knees at a headsman’s block in what was more than likely the far past. If this was one of the possibilities that could happen to her, then he didn’t have a choice. She would be on her own. He could not put other students or faculty in danger in such a way in good conscience. " I'm sorry Tarrowlyn, but this seems a mite too dangerous. I'm going to have to say no." He said, affixing the young woman with a gaze that could pierce steel. " You know the rules."

Tarrowlyn was doing her best to keep her temper in check. This would be more dangerous if she attempted it on her own. Then again, it seemed as if she wasn't being given a choice in the matter. " Very well then. I'll do it off grounds and alone." She hissed, standing abruptly and making the chair she was seated in scrape against the stone floor. " I'll be in Mzulft."

 

* * *

 

Energy was crackling as Tarrowlyn adjusted the dials on the Oculary, attempting to stem the funnel of starlight that was being channeled through her conversion device. She was swearing as she rushed over to another podium where the device was glowing a brilliant white, the metal starting to warp and crack from the heat. The mirror, which was sitting below the device, was white as well and was cracking under the strain of all the power she was trying to put into it. How had she been so grossly inaccurate with her calculations?! Without warning, there was a bright flash as the device exploded, sending bits of searing hot metal and raw magicka through the entire room. While she managed to throw up a ward to shield herself from the brunt of the magicka, Tarrowlyn screamed as pieces of the shrapnel hit her face and the light washed over her a second later, blinding her vision in a blanket of white.

Once everything had calmed, Tarrowlyn groaned as she lay on the floor and she rubbed at her eyes in an effort to stem the blindness that flash of light had caused. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air and she coughed as it burned when she breathed. She needed to find a way to either get out of the room, or clear the space of the noxious fumes as fast as possible. “ Damn it to the very gates of Oblivion and back.” she hissed under her breath. She was having trouble seeing from her left eye because of the wound she had sustained, though it seemed her vision was only red. That was promising. Her robes were quickly turning scarlet from the blood she was losing and the mage cast a weak spell to heal her wounds.

Another swear fell from her lips as she tried to draw upon her magicka, but it wouldn’t come. Had the blast disabled her temporarily despite the precautions that she had taken or was there just too much arcane ether in the room for her to manipulate properly? “ Shit. Thank the nine that I can use a sword.” Tarrowlyn groused. There was no telling how long her power would be out of commission for.

A pain filled groan of someone returning to consciousness filled her with both dread and surprise. Had the explosion caused a temporal anomaly? In all the equations and possibilities that she had run through, she hadn’t anticipated that something or someone would be brought to this time!

“ Ugh...My head. Vilkas?” The voice was undeniably male, and the timbre of it sent chills through her skin.

Tarrowlyn looked around the room. The smoke was still clogging up as much space as it could, limiting visibility to almost zero. She threw her hand up, and an orb of light flew up and bounced against the oculary mechanism before sticking to it. She looked around once more, searching for a shadow in the haze, and after a few moments she saw him. “ Don’t try to get up! I’ll be right there!” she called out to him.

He coughed a little as he still struggled to get to his feet. “ Who are you?” he asked, turning his head her way. He finally stopped trying to get to his feet, and just sat on the floor sitting up. “ Where am I?”

“ You’re in the dwemer ruin of Mzulft. My name is Tarrowlyn.” she replied as she got closer to him. “ Where did you come from?” She held out her hand to him in an effort to get him to his feet as the smoke continued to clear and he looked up to her. She had never felt so pinned by a single glance before, there was something wild and untamed about the gaze she was being affixed with.

“ My brother Vilkas and I were ambushed by Stormcloaks not far from here. I gotta get back...gotta help him.” he answered as he took her hand. Delightful shocks made his skin tingle as he touched the soft skin of her hand and he heard her soft inhalation of surprise at the contact. His blue eyes met her green ones for the first time through the haze and he rose to his feet while holding the gaze.

By Shor, Mara, and Dibella he was tall! Taller than any man she had ever come across before. A bright rouge colored her cheeks as he towered over her and Tarrowlyn realized that she had yet to let go of his hand. His eyes were such a beautiful shade of blue, like a calm river on a sunny day. His jaw was strong and bearded, giving him a rugged chiseled look. His shoulders were broad and strong, much like the rest of him and she took notice of his armor. To her it was ancient, but it looked well maintained and perfectly fit against him. Hadn’t he just mentioned that he and his brother had been ambushed by Stormcloaks?

He was from the fourth era?! More importantly, he had been around during the bloody civil war that had nearly torn Skyrim in twain? Tarrowlyn had so many questions to ask, but more importantly she had to figure out how she was going to send him home.

“ Where are my manners? Name’s Farkas.” He purred as he turned her hand in his to bare her knuckles and he brought them, to his lips in a debonair fashion.

Tarrowlyn gasped in delight at the feel of his lips on her skin. The rest of him looked to have been carved straight out of stone or marble and seemed just as unyielding, but his lips were soft and felt like satin in their caress. What I Dibella’s name was going on here?! She had never really paid the menfolk heed, but Farkas was commanding her attention. What she needed to do was to get both of them on a different topic, one that didn’t involve copious amounts of touching. _Just admit it, you’d love to be feeling his body under your fingers right now…_ her subconscious teased. “ I doubt you’ll be less than thrilled that you won’t be able to go to where you were moments ago, and for that the fault is mine. You weren’t just transported here via magic, Farkas…” Tarrowlyn began, and her gaze lowered to the floor in shame. She hadn’t meant to uproot someone from their life like this, and yet it had happened. “…You’ve gone through time as well. And it is going to take time in order to figure out how to send you back.”

Farkas weighed what she had just told him, and he looked down at her after a few moments of silence between them. She obviously hadn’t meant for this to happen, and he couldn’t very well hold it against her. For all they knew, this was divine intervention at its finest. He studied her for a moment, as she was oblivious to his perusal. She was a tiny little thing, barely coming up to his chest, but Farkas could tell she wasn’t much younger than he was. He knew from meeting her gaze not too long ago that she had the greenest eyes that he had ever seen on a nord woman and they were narrowed in frustration currently. She had long, crimson colored locks that were braided down her back, though some of them were matted to her face and the side of her head from blood. The left side of her round face where she had been wounded was still bloodied from when she had tried to stem the bleeding, in fact she had been casting healing spells every few moments while she had been speaking in an effort to stop it completely. She was a mage, a wizarding type. He didn’t trust them easy. But she had very little reaction to the wound she had just gotten. She was made of sterner stuff than most mages he had the displeasure of knowing. “ How did I get here to begin with?” he asked as she used her already bloody sleeve to clean her face with. “ You’re going to need water and a mirror for that if you want to be sure everything heals the way you want it to.”

“ I’m trying to figure that out myself. Out of all the numbers I crunched, nothing gave me an outcome where someone was pulled here. It could have been any number of factors, but rest assured that I won’t stop until I find a safe way to get you back home, Farkas.” Tarrowlyn assured him. “ As for this wound, my healing spells aren’t doing enough. I managed to close it, but I think it’s going to scar. Yet another thing I need to look into.” She looked up as she rose her hand and she called the magelight back to her. “ We should get out of here for now. Besides, I need to get you to my mother’s. You can’t go around wearing that armor all the time.”

Farkas couldn’t help but smirk as he began following her. “ So you expect me to go around naked?” he joked.

Tarrowlyn looked over her shoulder at him with a cat like grin. “ If you’re confident enough to do it, by all means. I know I won’t mind in the least. But, I do have access to my late brothers’ clothing and at least one of them was pretty close to your height and build. If not, my pa’s clothing may fit you.” She retorted with a flirtatious purr. " But we have to get you to my mother's home first. I hope you don't mind riding horseback." Farkas was chuckling at the joke that she had made and she led the way into a lift. " In all seriousness, Farkas..." Her tone was worried as she pulled the lever to take them back up top. "...things have changed, drastically. A lot of what you've known is gone. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Farkas thought about it for a moment before he nodded. " You're trying to make sure I don't experience too much of a shock. I appreciate it, but I'll adapt well enough. Let's just get to your ma's place." he replied. 

Tarrowlyn gave him a wan grin as the lift brought them outside once more. " I want to make this as smooth as possible for you considering you'll be stuck for a while and it's my fault. I swear by the nine divines though, I will get you home again Farkas." she told him earnestly.

Farkas patted the mage's shoulder, silently conveying that he appreciated the sentiment from her. " I normally don't like you mage types, but there's something about you that I can't help but like. Somehow I know that you'll do it one way or another."


	2. A Slight Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the explosion having destroyed most of Tarrowlyn's supplies and provisions, our two are making they're way towards Riften while on the way to Tarrowlyn's family home in Falkreath. A slight stop is in order for food and other necessary items.

Adaptation? This wasn’t a matter of adaptation. Farkas had been wrong to think such a thing. No, he was getting very overwhelmed by the sights before him and he was unsure how much longer he could play it off as nothing. Buildings greater than any fortress or castle that he had ever seen reached skyward, their windows glistening in the sunlight. He could see it even from here and they were at least four leagues out of the city proper! He felt a hand on his shoulder and Farkas turned to look over at Tarrowlyn. She had a sad smile on her face and he patted her hand with a heavy sigh.   
  
“If you think Riften looks huge from here, Whiterun, Windhelm, and Solitude are going to be completely unrecognizable. Even Falkreath will feel foreign to you, but I hope that I can rectify this as soon as I can for you.” Tarrowlyn whispered sadly as she fell into step beside him again. She was still wearing her bloody robes, as she didn’t have a change of clothing, and she had done all she could to heal the gashes on her face. There would definitely be some scarring, but Farkas found he liked the way she looked with it. Her horse; as they had come to learn upon their exit of Mzulft, had run off some time ago, though the possibility that it had been chased off by wolves was greater. They were stuck hoofing it for now.   
  
“How long would it take us to get to your ma’s on foot?” Farkas asked. He was not in the mood to stop right now. What he needed was some strong mead and a bed to pass out in for a while. There were a few other things that he could use, but that was neither here nor there right now. He would be able to hold out for a while yet.   
  
“A day and a half. Just let me go in long enough to get some provisions from the supermarket, maybe a sleeping bag or two, and a twelve pack of my favorite alcoholic beverage. I daresay both of us need a strong drink after the day we’ve had.” Tarrowlyn replied. She could tell that bringing him into the city proper was a bad idea right now, which meant fresh clothing would have to wait. But she could get some measuring tape, take his sizes later for when they got to Falkreath…   
  
“I’ll go with you. I…” Farkas began and he swallowed harder than he meant to. “…I don’t want to be alone right now. It’s too much.” He admitted.   
  
Tarrowlyn’s eyes filled with tears and she eased one arm around his middle. It was uncomfortable to do this against his steel armor, but Farkas needed comfort. One of his arms rose up and settled on her shoulder in acceptance and she felt his fingers toy with the strands of red that were in reach. “ I’m sorry.” She whispered sadly. They held the embrace for a few minutes and Farkas cleared his throat after a moment. She began to guide the way into the city proper but she paused when she felt something warm take her by the hand. Sure enough, Farkas had taken hold of it, whether to make sure they didn’t lose one another or for comfort, the mage wasn’t sure, but Tarrowlyn wasn’t going to make him let her go. “Let’s get this done as fast as we can.”

Farkas nodded stiffly as he allowed Tarrowlyn to take the lead. He was apprehensive, tense. What would he find here? After about an hour or so they entered the city proper and as they trekked down the busy street, Farkas felt his apprehension leaving him as pure wonder and awe took precedence. 

Walkways abounded overhead, connecting the large buildings. People were sitting at tables and on benches, talking and eating happily among plants that seemed to dominate every bit of free space there was available. Some of the flora he knew was native to Cyrodiil and Skyrim, but a lot of it he had never seen before in his life. With them on the ground level were even more people than he thought possible, several races of mer, khajiit and human milled about as they went to their destinations. The one thing that caught his eye the most were mechanical contraptions that people were riding around in like they would a carriage! 

“Wow! Just wow!” he exclaimed softly, now wishing that he had three hundred sixty degree vision. “Do all the hold capitals look like this?” He turned around to take it all in and he smiled broadly. His eyes were alight as he took everything in, and he looked to Tarrowlyn as he waited for her reply.

Tarrowlyn smiled at his reaction, inwardly relieved that he wasn’t as put off about all the changes around him as they had feared. “If you think Riften is impressive with all the flora, they have nothing on Falkreath proper. If you have ever been to Valenwood, its close to that sans the moving trees. As for that…” Tarrowlyn pointed to the automaton that was just passing them on the road nearby. “...that is what is known as a magi-car. Have you ever come across a dwemer centurion?”

“A few times. They’re bastards to put down.” Farkas replied. He had come across one or two in his travels and he had been intrigued on how they worked. “So they run on steam power and soul gems, huh?” 

“That they do. I wasn’t expecting you to know that in all honesty.” Tarrowlyn was definitely surprised at that and she looked over her shoulder to Farkas with a grin. “ Do you know much about them?”

Farkas shook his head and he slowly walked over to where one was parked. “ I only know what they run on, not the hows. What about you?” His silver-azure gaze looked up and over to where Tarrowlyn was on the other side of the magi-car. On the surface, the look he was giving her was curious, questioning, probing even. 

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked deeper into those beautiful eyes. His gaze was piercing, calm yet wild at the same time. There was so much intensity, yet tenderness at the same time. Tarrowlyn had never met someone as honest, as genuine, as Farkas in her short life. She smiled as she joined Farkas on the other side, unable to meet his eyes due to the blush on her cheeks.  _ Hopefully he won’t notice it... _ she thought to herself.  _ Then again, my face is still covered in a thin sheen of blood that I wasn’t able to clean off yet _ . “ Unfortunately, same here. My brother Mikhail knows better than I do though. Maybe I can talk him into bringing his over to my ma’s and he can explain them to you?”

Farkas smirked as he not only saw the blush, but he leaned in closer to her, just enough to let his body heat be felt. “ I think I’d like that.” he purred softly, flirtatiously near her ear. He had to hold back a chuckle as Tarrowlyn’s blush grew brighter and fiercer, forcing her temperature to shoot sky high in both embarrassment and excitement.  _ Too easy... _ he mused.

Tarrowlyn looked at her boots as she tried to battle the rouge staining her cheeks. “Let’s get over to the store to get the items that we’re needing. We might be able to get you some new clothing after all and a knapsack to carry everything in.” she stammered out, but just barely. By the nine, flirting was not her forte, but she’d be a liar to deny how much she was enjoying it. Her male contemporaries at the college never held any appeal to her. They were much too competitive, much too overbearing and they often spoke down to the female students as if they were less than worthy of gracing the halls of the arcane school. Her brow furrowed as she thought of at least three such examples, though it smoothed out when she realized that she had a living, breathing result from her experiment. “ The store I’m talking about should be over this way.”

Farkas smiled as he nodded and he stayed close to Tarrowlyn so as not to lose her in the crowd. It seemed to be getting thicker, more concentrated as they came to a familiar looking sign. Well, that was one thing that had stayed the same even after all these years. How much had remained? “All you had to say was that we were going into a general store. Granted this one is a one stop shop, but it’s still the same thing.” he commented with a grin. He could see potions ingredients along the far wall to his left, along with all the supplies needed to fully stock an alchemy lab. Armor and weapons were on display and he barely caught the smell of a forge nearby. The smoke was inside, so the forge and it’s master had to be attached to the store in some way or another. A large selection of clothing was almost directly in front of them towards the back corner and a sea of grocery items dominated a third of the store by themselves. Some of the foods were familiar, as they were what he was used to having grown up in Skyrim. A good chunk of them were foreign and he smiled. Maybe he could talk Tarrowlyn into getting some of them for him to try while they were traveling. 

The apprehension was gone. All Farkas wanted to do now was explore this fascinating new world. This was Skyrim, eight ages in the future! What all had happened? Would he be able to learn anything new? What would become of him if Tarrowlyn couldn’t get him back after all? What was there for him here?

“This one has a section for groceries, alchemy, and enchanting supplies as well. It’s one of three like this in Skyrim. The other two are in Markarth and Whiterun. What we need is over here. Thankfully they have a washroom available for folks like us, so we can not only get changed, but cleaned up. I should probably get this looked at while we’re here.” Tarrowlyn explained as they found the clothing section. 

“Are there more healers than you can shake a fist at? They were in short supply and mostly regulated to priests and priestesses where I came from.” Farkas asked. He was already looking through some of the clothing and his brow furrowed. These styles were definitely not what he was used to. “I might need your help Tarrowlyn.”

“I’m already looking Farkas. Standard fourth era wear was trousers, boots, jerkin, and vest right?” the mage replied in a sing song voice. “As for healers, there are mages like myself who specialize in restoration magicks over the other schools, and there are also lay healers that utilize skill as opposed to the arcane. The best practices are those that have partners that are one of each. The doctor that I’ve been seeing since I was a child practices here in Riften.”

Farkas nodded silently in understanding and Tarrowlyn walked over to him while holding up a blue shirt as if to gauge his size. “Yes to your question. I prefer red or black if it’ll fit.”

“Noted. I think I need to go up one more size. Just how tall are you?” Tarrowlyn pondered aloud and she walked back over to the clothing rack. 

“Six foot, seven inches if you really must know. I was just measured by the smith a month ago.” Farkas answered, though he knew Tarrowlyn was in her own little world. He laughed when she stumbled a bit and she looked up at him in shock. “No, I’m not joking.”

“Did he get any other measurements?” Tarrowlyn squeaked. No wonder she felt so tiny against him. He was more than a foot taller than she was after all.

Farkas smirked as he leaned in close. “That depends. Would you prefer to get your own?” he purred flirtatiously. Seeing Tarrowlyn turn bright red was more than reward enough, and he chortled as he drew back.

Tarrowlyn was nearly the same shade of red as her hair and she turned back to the rack in an effort to find something Farkas would like. She had always been so preoccupied with her studies that she had never really paid much mind to the menfolk. Flirting, whether it be blatant or subtle, truly was foreign territory for the mage. What had Tarrowlyn even more flustered was that she was enjoying it very much. Her eyes lit up as they settled on a three quarter sleeved shirt with a drawstring at the collar, and it had a scarf to go with it. Both were enchanted to help fend off the effects of unsavory weather. “Let’s see if this’ll fit you! That and these jeans. We’ll figure out what size shoe you wear in a minute.”

Farkas took the items in hand and he sighed in annoyance despite the fact that he was following her somewhere in the store. He wasn’t looking forward to dealing with the fashions of this time, but he had to keep appearances up for now.

The elderly matron tending to the fitting rooms smiled when she saw the two coming up to her counter. “Do you need to use the washrooms first my dears? You poor things look like you’ve been run through fire and brimstone.” she commented sweetly.

“Yes, please. He’ll also be needing to try these on to be sure that they fit right. Do you have someone on hand who can make the minor alterations if they’re just a tad snug?” Tarrowlyn replied. Farkas just stayed quiet. It wasn’t as if he knew what was needed in this case. 

The old woman grinned. “I can handle it myself dearie. Did you need a change of clothing as well? It’s surprising a mage like yourself was wounded as badly as you were.”

“I’m about to go grab something for myself in a moment. This gentleman here will be needing a rucksack to carry his armor in, as well as some standard camping gear if you don’t mind as well. We’re traveling on foot to Falkreath.” Tarrowlyn answered, skirting around the issue of her injury. Her mother was going to have kittens when she saw it for that matter and her last surviving brother would never let her live it down. “Will you be alright for a few Farkas?”

“I should be. It’s a bathing room, not too hard to figure it out.” the warrior replied with a cocky grin.

 

* * *

 

His brains were most certainly not his strong suit. There were knobs, buttons, and dials all over the place. Worse yet, Farkas was alone in the room. Thank the gods that there was a full tub that he could utilize for now. Once he had bathed himself, Farkas looked to the clothing that had been laid out for him. Tarrowlyn had sent in some small clothes for him, though they were unlike anything he had ever seen in his time. They looked like a pair of cut off trousers, worst yet they looked as if they would ride high on his thighs. With a shrug, Farkas put them on and his brow rose in surprise. These were surprisingly comfortable! 

Next came the trousers that Tarrowlyn had referred to as jeans. They were a deep blue in color, and they felt sturdy in his grip. The zipper was easy enough to figure out, buttons he was used to. Farkas drew them over his hips, and he smiled once more at how well Tarrowlyn had done in picking something that fit him. Like the small clothes that she had sent in, the pants fit well and they were ridiculously comfortable. 

“Are you decent yet?” Tarrowlyn asked. There was only one washroom available and Farkas was still in it.

“Yeah. Just need to get the tunic on.” Farkas replied. 

Tarrowlyn walked into the room with a small bundle under her arm and she smiled as she looked at him. “I’m glad to see I got your waist sized right. Let’s just hope I was on the mark with the shirt.” she told him. A small blush covered her cheeks as she looked at the man before her. He was busy pulling on the shirt that she had chosen for him, and thus was oblivious to her perusal. 

Farkas was built as if the goddesses had chiseled him straight out of marble. His shoulders led into a toned, and well built torso. She had never really liked the look of muscle definition on men; as they normally went overboard in an attempt to impress their preferred gender, but Farkas would look odd without the well defined pecs. A smattering of ebony covered them, leading down in a single trail between tightly packed abs and Tarrowlyn licked her lips. Her mouth watered as his muscles rolled and rippled as he eased his arms into the short sleeves. By Dibella, Tarrowlyn was going to get herself in trouble if she kept ogling him like this.

As wrong as it was, she definitely liked what she was looking at.

“It’s a bit tight over my shoulders and chest, but the woman out front said she could fix that, right?” Farkas replied as he gave the hem a few tugs to get it sitting right. What fabric was this made out of? Seriously, everything Tarrowlyn had given him was so much more comfortable against his skin than anything he had ever worn before.

“Yeah. She’s also going to take your shoe size so we can get you into a pair of shoes or boots that you’ll like from this time.” Tarrowlyn replied. She was looking away, feeling ashamed and embarrassed of herself for acting like a hormonal tweener. She hadn’t been this bad since she had gone through puberty!

“What about the bag for my armor?” Farkas grabbed the scarf, though he scowled when he saw his hair in the mirror. It was a mess and he had no means of combing it at the moment. “Do you have a comb or anything?”

Tarrowlyn shook her head. “The rucksack is out there with the rest of everything I’m purchasing. Once we know what size you’re in, we can get you about a weeks worth of clothing to tide you over for now. It’s a good thing we stopped here. None of my brothers or my pa’s things would have fit you. Where your hair is concerned, the only thing I have is an hair tie. Sit down, I’ll pull it up for you for now to get it out of the way.”

Farkas’ brow arched in curiosity. “A hair tie?”

Tarrowlyn grew something stretchy out from under the wraps on her wrist and she smiled. “I have a feeling this is about to become your best friend while you’re here.” she giggled. Farkas sat on the bench while shaking his head at the same time, obviously confused. Tarrowlyn smiled as she ran her fingers through his damp locks gently, easing out the worst of the snags and snarls. She heard him groan in delight as her nails worked gently against his scalp as she gathered his hair and her blush returned with a vengeance. This was something so intimate, so personal with someone she barely knew.  _ I’m definitely in trouble. _ the mage thought to herself. 

Farkas had gone to Aetherius. He had never had a woman play with his hair before, but what Tarrowlyn was doing felt really damn good. His scalp was tingling pleasantly from the light touches and scratches against it as she gathered his hair up and he groaned as she brushed the skin against the base of his neck. He had never realized how sensitive an area it was until the accidental caress. Gooseflesh pebbled up all over his skin in reaction and his head rolled a little against her hands in an effort to get her to do it again.

Tarrowlyn laughter, light and lilting, swam in his ears a moment. “Stay still, I’m almost done Farkas.” she giggled. “Gods, you’re worse than my niece when I play with her hair.”

Farkas felt his scalp get drawn tight against his head for a brief moment, but the sensation soon passed. His neck felt bare, an odd sensation to be sure, but he wasn’t complaining in the slightest. He looked to the mirror to his left and Farkas tilted his head to either side a few times as he gauged the look. Most of his hair had been gathered into a bun, but a few stubborn locks had managed to stay free and were framing his face. Combined with his close cropped beard, Farkas found that he actually liked the look.  “Not bad.” he murmured.

Tarrowlyn patted his shoulder briefly to get him standing. “Shoo. It’s my turn now. Go pick out something for your feet and have the matron help you with fitting the shirts. I found a few that looked close to what you might have worn back in your time, but if you find something you like along the way, go ahead and grab it.”

“Are septims still currency or has that changed too?” Farkas snarked as he walked for the door. 

“That much is still the same, but gold coins of your time haven’t been used in at least four or five eras. Luckily, we should be able to get them converted to the bills that are used now. The only place that can be done is Markarth though.” Tarrowlyn answered as she began unwinding her wraps from her left arm. She knew why he had asked. Farkas wasn’t comfortable with her paying for everything. His pride was more than likely taking the blow. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll keep a separate receipt for all the items I’m getting for you and you can pay me back later.”

Farkas nodded, agreeing to her proposal for now. She had been right to assume that he didn’t like that she was paying his way. He had plenty of coin on his person, but he had no means of using it. “I’ll be waiting.”

 

* * *

 

By the time Tarrowlyn exited the bath, Farkas was tying on a pair of knee high leather boots. His shirt was fitting looser than it had when he had initially put it on, meaning the matron had magically altered it for him, and more than likely had done the same to the other shirts that had been picked out. He looked up at her as she ruffled her hair in an effort to get it to dry a little more, and his eyes roamed of their own accord. 

Farkas’ gaze drank in the woman before him as if he were parched for beauty. The long sleeved shirt she had chosen to wear fit tightly against her curves, and by Stendarr did she have curves. Her ample bosom was straining tightly against the fabric of her shirt and Farkas let his eyes follow the natural bell of her waist that led into pear shaped hips. She was wearing a pair of jeans as well and the boots that she had been wearing with her robes graced her feet. The pants fit just as snugly as her shirt, leaving little to his imagination of her body type. Her hair was much longer than Farkas thought it to be, as it tapered off just under her shapely rear.

“You about ready?” Tarrowlyn asked him, knocking him out of his lascivious train of thought. She started drawing up her hair as well and she piled it high on her head in a messy bun. 

“Yeah. Found a few things I liked while I was waiting. Once we find ourselves at Markarth, I’ll pay ya back.” Farkas replied. He had already packed his rucksack and he got to his feet, slinging it over his shoulder.

Tarrowlyn smiled as she collected the tags for everything and she paid out for the items right there. They would have needed to do a separate purchase for the rest of the things the needed anyways. “Glad to hear you found a few things you liked. How well do the boots fit?”

Farkas and the matron both laughed and the old woman’s rheumy gray eyes sparkled mirthfully as they met Tarrowlyn’s green ones. “I had to adjust the size of them as well. Your friend here has some of the biggest feet I have ever seen in my life! Thank goodness for the magicka your mother created for tailors and cobblers like myself. I threw in a few extra pairs of jeans and socks, as well as some dress clothing and shoes too. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do so many alterations for just one person.”

Tarrowlyn smiled as Farkas came to stand beside her. “Thank you very much. I’ll be sure to give High Mage Dragonheart your compliments when I see her again. That will hopefully be tomorrow.” the mage said with a small bow. She looked over to Farkas as he adjusted the straps on his pack. “Let’s go grab some food and drink and head out. We’ve got a decent hike ahead of us.”

Farkas nodded. “We need to go see that healer too. Don’t forget that.” he added.

It took all of fifteen minutes for them to get their provisions, and as promised, Tarrowlyn grabbed a case of her favorite alcoholic beverage. 

“Black-Briar Mead? It’s still around?” Farkas inquired, almost incredulous. 

“The Black-Briar family is one of the most prominent families in Skyrim still. Lately they’ve been trying to make a power play here in Riften to get their patriarch in charge of the city. Just one more reason I’m glad I live elsewhere.” Tarrowlyn snarked. Ivan Black-Briar was a prick in every sense of the word and he was always at odds with her mother, Dahlia, about something or other if he felt that mages were being too open throughout the hold. Granted, her mother was on the board for the college, but she wasn’t the archmage. That was Illiana Aren, a descendant of famous mage Savos Aren.

Farkas’ brow rose in curiosity as they began moving through the city again, more than likely to the healer’s hut that Tarrowlyn had mentioned before. He had reminded her, sure, but she seemed a little absent minded at the moment. “So where do you live? You keep saying you’re taking me to your ma’s place.”

“Currently, I don’t have anywhere to call home. I had my own apartment up in Winterhold about a month or so ago, but that was about the time that I went to Mzulft. I put everything into storage. My mother keeps a room for me seeing as how I’m not married off yet, but I haven’t lived at the Manor since I was sent to the college seven years ago.”

“You were only thirteen when you started at the college?” Farkas’ tone was incredulous as they made a left on a street and he looked down at her as she laughed.

“I was sixteen actually. I’m twenty three, Farkas, but thank you for the compliment.” Tarrowlyn answered. “Nonetheless, let’s get over to the doctor’s and get out of this town. I’ve got a lot of work to do and even more research to conduct.” She added with a small grin. Farkas only lifted one hand as if to say ‘Lead on’ and Tarrowlyn laughed loudly before doing just that.

 

* * *

 

 

Farkas grumbled under his breath as Tarrowlyn set up their tent for the night. Try as he might, he had not been able to make heads or tails of it and darkness was fast encroaching. Instead, Farkas had decided to busy himself with getting the fire going and gathering water. He was the only one with a blade after all. Tarrowlyn was cussing under her breath about her magic still, as she normally used it to conjure a blade, but she couldn’t even do that. “For a mage, you fight well enough.” Farkas called over. She had just been muttering that she was useless. He looked over his shoulder as he stoked the coals a bit and he adjusted the scarf around his neck. “ In all honesty, you’re hand to hand is damn good. I’ve never seen a mage lay someone out in a single punch before.”

They had been ambushed by some bandits that had taken up residence near Autumnwatch Tower about two hours ago before they had decided to make camp. Tarrowlyn’s magicka had flared up for a brief moment, allowing her to light off a few fireball spells, but it literally sputtered out after that and she had been forced to put her dukes up. Farkas couldn’t help but smile at the memory. He had been busy taking three of them on at once, but he had heard the jeers coming from the asshat that had been closing in on Tarrowlyn.

“Mages like you don’t have what it takes to really fight.” Tarrowlyn seethed under her breath, but in a high falsetto as she mimicked what the bandit had told her earlier. “I should have punched him in the throat as opposed to breaking his glass jaw.” She narrowed her gaze a little as she had trouble seeing where to attach the support pole to its anchor and she snapped her fingers. Sure enough, a bauble of mage light began hovering over her shoulder. “Thank the gods that worked.”

Farkas chortled. “Glass jaw or not, that was still a damn good punch. Hand me the pot off your rucksack. I’ll get the food cooking.” He offered. Tarrowlyn took a brief moment to hand over the dutch oven that she had bought and Farkas pulled two potatoes out of the bag that they had put the food in. He pulled a knife out of his boot; he had switched it over from his other gear while Tarrowlyn had been bathing, and he began dicing the first spud. It wasn’t too chilly out yet, but it was cold enough to warrant a stew. It was a good thing that there had been some fresh venison in the tower that the bandits had just landed that day. “You would have done well in the Companions. It’s a shame that we didn’t have more women like you in my time.” The compliment would hopefully help to better her mood.

Tarrowlyn stopped what she was doing. “Wait, you’re a Companion? One of the fourth era Companions to be specific?” she asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

Farkas nodded as he drew the carrots out next. It hadn't occured to him that they really hadn't talked much about him yet despite everything Tarrowlyn had said about herself and her family. More than likely she had done that on purpose to help him feel more at ease with having to stay with utter strangers in a strange time. “Yeah, I’m part of the Circle. Kodlak Whitemane is the Harbinger.” He answered. His brow furrowed as he looked over his shoulder to her again. “Why do you ask?”

Tarrowlyn’s jaw worked wordlessly for a moment. The exact time that she had pulled him from, the Skyrim Civil War was still raging. He hadn’t yet been part of what was the most important battle the Companions had ever been in. Worst yet, she couldn’t reveal that tidbit. It could very well alter the time he had come from. “I can’t tell you because it pertains to your future specifically.” she finally replied. “But you’ll definitely be welcome at my mother’s. The Companions are still around to this very day, but they’re more of a police force for the holds. My pa and all three of my brothers are and were Companions. The only one still alive is Mikhail. My ma, as you know, is a mage like myself.” Tarrowlyn began telling Farkas about her family as she finished up the tent and she soon joined him by the fire.

Farkas reached into the bag and he drew out one of the mead bottles to hand to her and he then placed the lid on the dutch oven to let everything simmer together. It would need about twenty minutes total for the potatoes to cook fully. “I’ve already told you about my brother Vilkas. We’re the youngest companions to ever walk the mead hall of Jorrvaskr.” He began and Tarrowlyn nearly spit out her drink. “ What now?”

“You’re that Farkas?! Oh sweet Stendarr…”she began, laughing all the while. “Mikhail is going to have kittens when he hears this. Let’s just say that Farkas became a very popular name towards the tail end of the fourth era, but there’s only one recorded instance of a pair of twins named Farkas and Vilkas that were part of the Companions. I should warn you that most of the tales of you that are on the books have probably over embellished a lot of things about who you are, but ever since we were kids, Mikhail hero worshipped that.”

Farkas laughed at the thought. Someone hero worshiping him? He hadn’t done anything to warrant it. Not with what he was. “ Noted.” he replied after a while. He began talking of the Companions, his shield siblings, in earnest while they were waiting for their supper, and Tarrowlyn soaked everything up like a sponge. He began telling her of some of his more memorable battles. The excited look in her green eyes kept him talking, the smile on her face warmed his heart. Darkness had fallen fully, but the light of the fire seemed even brighter than normal as it danced along her crimson tresses and lit up her face in a soft golden glow. The thought had crossed his mind once or twice, but with the drink starting to addle him, it was all the more apparent.

Tarrowlyn was beautiful. Farkas wasn’t entirely sure she knew it either. But everything about her, from the way she laughed at something comical he had told her of his past while growing up with Vilkas, to the way she shyly played with her hair while attempting to divert the conversation to something else, was alluring. It wasn’t hard to tell that she hadn’t had much experience with men, and while that thought helped him to keep his distance, it made it all the more tempting too. Farkas could already hear his brother’s voice admonishing him for even entertaining the thought of pursuing some sort of relationship with Tarrowlyn while he was here.

_ Really Farkas! She’s working to send you back to our time? Do you just plan to leave her brokenhearted? And what about you? You’d be moping about the mead hall for months! _

Yeah, that was pretty much on point for how Vilkas would chastise him. It would be best to not let things get that far, to not get too attached, but Farkas also knew that the goddesses rarely allowed him any such luck.

“I was thinking of seeing if I would be able to rent my apartment in Winterhold again. I’d rather be close to the college while undertaking the next round of research than having to commute so much distance on a daily basis.” Tarrowlyn told him. “If I know my Ma well enough, you’ll be more than welcome to stay with her for the time being. Until such is the point that I can pretty much send you right back to the moment you were drawn here via magicka at least.” She watched as Farkas lifted the lid from the dutch oven and she smiled as the smell of the stew hit her nose. “That smells absolutely delicious!”

Farkas grinned, unable to keep the cockiness at bay. He was a damn good cook and he knew it. Vilkas hadn’t been so lucky, despite the amount of books he had read. Farkas was reasonably sure that his brother had read a cookbook or two. “Just be thankful it’s me here and not my brother. I love him to death, but he’s a shit cook.” The companion joked. He served them both up a hearty helping of the stew that he had made and Tarrowlyn gushed even more with the first bite. Farkas stayed silent, just enjoying the compliments and the company for now.

The two went on drinking well into the night, though Tarrowlyn proved that she had the same capacity for holding her liquor just like Farkas did. It surprised him that a little mage like her could go toe to toe with him like this.

“You know…” Tarrowlyn began, albeit with a slight slur to her words. She was on her sixth and final bottle of mead. Her accent was starting to show through a little more with each bottle she drank as well, which amused Farkas. “…I wanted to be a Companion. But after my pa and my brothers died out in the field, she begged me to go to the college. I had shown aptitude in the arcane arts since I was a wee lass. I liked helping my pa around the forge more though. I liked getting to play with swords…” Her eyes grew wistful as she gazed into the fire. “I wonder how my life would have turned out if I had joined the Companions instead. One thing is for sure. I would have never dragged you from everything you’ve known if I had.”

Farkas smirked and he finished off his last bottle as well. They had gone through the entire case in a little less than four hours. While she was right that his whole world wouldn’t have been upended if she had joined the Companions, he honestly had been blessed by the gods for this opportunity. He truly felt as if this was some sort of divine providence that had brought him to this time, that Akatosh himself had brought him here for some special reason. “But I wouldn’t have met you if you hadn’t. Believe me when I say that you have made this whole thing easier to deal with. Because of you, I can look at this is an adventure, Tarrowlyn. A story that I’ll be able to share in Jorrvaskr once you get me home. Rest assured we will be singing songs of your skill for ages to come.” Farkas replied as he got to his feet. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Tarrowlyn blushed brightly as she looked away despite the fact that Farkas was going towards the tree line. It wasn’t often that someone told her that they were better off knowing her. Tarrowlyn hugged herself tightly as she tried to will away the sudden maudlin feeling that was washing over her. All the years that she had spent practically shunning male companionship were now coming back to bite her in the ass. Things were already getting difficult with her burgeoning physical attraction to him, but her heart was quickly growing just as invested.

That was going to make things much harder than they needed to be.


	3. The Manor of the High Mage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tarrowlyn and Farkas finally arrive in Falkreath, though a little worse for wear, to Lakeview Manor, the ancestral home of the Dragonheart Clan.

Spring, for as short as it was, had finally come to Skyrim and it was breathtaking to see the change it made in the forests of Falkreath. Flora of all types were in full bloom, most notably the indigenous mountain flowers that were transforming the surrounding grasslands in hues of purple, blues, reds, yellows, and oranges. The trees had recently come into bloom as well, and their leaves stretched high in an effort to gather up as much light as possible. The sun was shining, the sky was blessedly clear of clouds, and even from where she sat, she could hear the soft lapping of the lake against the shore. It was delightfully tranquil. It was quiet.  
  
Just a little too quiet, but it kept her on guard.   
  
The buzz of the animals had stopped about ten minutes ago while she had been out on the patio reading, alerting her to someone’s presence nearing the grounds. A slow smile curled her lip as she looked towards the northern entrance and she got to her feet. It was rare for either of her children to show up unannounced or without their normal means of transportation. Was it Tarrowlyn? Mikhail? Had Hela kicked him out for a night or two again? A soft chuckle escaped her as the thought came to mind, but a brief, brilliant flash of red alerted her to her daughter’s presence fast nearing the manor and her brow rose in curiosity when she saw a tall man lumbering some ten or so paces behind her petite offspring.   
  
By Dibella, Mara, and Kynareth…Had Tarrowlyn finally brought home a man for her to meet and approve of?! The goddesses be praised if that were indeed the case!   
  
Dahlia Dragonheart hurried down the steps to meet her daughter before she reached the door to the entry hall, but her smile waned and her footfall slowed to a crawl as she looked over her daughter. “ Shor’s bones…Tarrowlyn?! What happened?” she cried out. She hadn’t seen their wounds in the distance, but Tarrowlyn was sporting a broken arm and three healed gashes on her face. Her jeans were torn on one calf, but the wound had been bandaged with some scraps of cotton. Her shirt was bloodied, whether by that of her foes or her own Dahlia wasn’t sure, but the man lumbering down the path was in just as bad a way as her daughter. The reason he had been several steps behind her was because there was still a dagger embedded in his upper thigh.   
  
“ Oh thank the gods! Ma! Help me get him inside so you can heal him. I can’t use magicka at the moment!” Tarrowlyn exclaimed fearfully. She quickly hastened back to her friend’s side to help him walk again and Dahlia hurried over to the other so that they could steady his steps. “ Easy now, Farkas. Don’t go passing out on me yet.” She whispered to him encouragingly.   
  
“ Not happening. Too pissed off, too much pain to give out just yet.” Farkas grumbled as both women flanked him on either side. He dwarfed them both easily and it just rose his ire more that they were struggling so much to help him walk. It was one of the rare times during their excursion that Farkas was cursing Tarrowlyn’s horse for disappearing.   
  
“ You didn’t answer my question Tarrowlyn. What happened to the two of you?” Dahlia asked. She thrust one hand out, palm flat, and the door opened by itself as they drew closer to the entryway. They passed through into the foyer, and Dahlia pointed them over to a settee. With another wave of her hand, the coffee table moved out of the way so that Farkas wouldn’t trip over it as they passed that way.     
  
“ Bandits in the mountain pass. I’ll be writing to the Jarls to let both of them know that they owe the two of us for taking out the group that’s been harassing the border there.” Tarrowlyn seethed vehemently.

 

Jarl Hjommard Steelhand of Falkreath was little more than a useless dandy in Tarrowlyn’s opinion, but she still had to show deference when she and her mother made appearances in his court in the past. Jarl Ilsa Shieldbreaker of Riften was a little better to deal with, save for Vladamir Blackbriar trying to shunt her out of her rightful station. Most of the time, Ilsa was an even tempered woman with a heart of gold. More than likely, the two jarls had been bickering on who was supposed to pay the bounty for the bandits. Tarrowlyn and Farkas had made the point moot and she would be demanding that they both get paid in full.

 

“ I thought I was doing alright magicka wise, I was feeling well enough to use it this morning and it gave out half way through the fight. Tanaris had my sword strapped to her, but she’s missing. She wasn’t where I had her grazing near Mzulft.” Her tone changed rapidly as she and Dahlia eased Farkas down against the sofa. “ Someone tried to attack me from behind and Farkas here got in-between in order to protect me.”  
  
Dahlia rapidly grabbed her large first aid kit from the hall closet and she narrowed her gaze at her daughter’s injuries. Her ulna had sustained a horrid break and it was protruding through the skin. If they hadn’t already dispatched their assailants, Dahlia would be wreaking havoc on them herself. No one harmed her children and got away with it. It didn’t matter that they were grown, Tarrowlyn and Mikhail were still her brood and Dahlia lived up to the name of Dragonheart. She’d roast them alive if given the chance. “ Someone hit you with a mace?” she asked, her voice low and angry. A nod answered her as Tarrowlyn hugged her arm to her side. “ We’ll need to get to the city proper to get that healed properly. It needs to be x-rayed first. I would set it myself, but I don’t want it healing wrong.”   
  
“ I understand Ma, but worry about me later. Farkas has been limping on that stab wound for the better part of two hours. He needs help more than I do.” Tarrowlyn snarked. Pain and impatience had taken away her normally calm demeanor.   
  
Dahlia sighed as she turned back to the man and she couldn’t help but smile at him. “ I’m sorry we couldn’t have met on better circumstances. I’m Dahlia, Tarrowlyn’s mother. I’m going to pull the dagger, alright?”   
  
“ Farkas, just….GRAH! DAMN IT TO OBLIVION!” Farkas couldn’t help the swears as they fell from his lips one after the other while Dahlia held some gauze to the wound with one hand. Her other hand light up with the soft golden glow of a healing spell and she willed the light into his leg. His head fell back against the settee as the pain began leaving him, and it was replaced with a soothing warmth. “ Ooooohhhh yeah. Much better ma’am. Thank you.” he whispered in utter relief as the spell did its work.   
  
Dahlia smiled as she got to her feet. Her hands were covered in blood, but that would wash off. She needed to figure out why her progeny was unable to use her skills to heal a simple wound like that. She needed to splint that break first before they did. “ I’ll get Tarrowlyn into town to get healed up. You’re more than welcome to bathe and rest here until we get back.” the mage offered as she began digging into her kit for a splint.   
  
Farkas got to his feet and he shook his head. While he was feeling bone tired after the last couple of hours, it was something that could be put off to the wayside for now. He’d rather be sure that Tarrowlyn was going to be alright first and foremost, even if that meant waiting. “ If it’s all the same to you, ma’am, I’d rather stick with her.” he replied gently.  His blue eyes came to rest on Tarrowlyn as Dahlia shuffled her to sit on the couch next and the red haired mage gave him a soft smile. A light blush tinged her cheeks pink and Farkas couldn’t help but feel a little bit of pride that she had liked the suggestion. Judging by the look of approval on Dahlia’s face, he had inadvertently scored some points with her as well.   
  
“ Farkas, we wouldn’t be gone too long. Honestly, go get a shower and Ma will show you to a room before we go. You look almost dead on your feet at the moment.” Tarrowlyn told him kindly. “ Get some well-deserved rest seeing as you wound up having to play bodyguard for my sorry ass.” She harrumphed a little as Dahlia clucked her tongue warningly and she levied her annoyed green gaze on the older woman. “ Seriously, some mage I am. I get blasted by pure magicka and now I can’t even use my preferred means of attack. I don’t even know just _what_ happened to cause it!.”   
  
Dahlia paused in her efforts applying the splint. She needed to get to the bottom of that mystery first and foremost. “ Blasted by pure magicka? What do you mean Tarrowlyn?” she probed, completely at a loss as to what her daughter was talking about.   
  
Tarrowlyn sighed heavily as she looked up to Farkas, her gaze stern but asking a silent question. Dahlia turned around to look to the tall man and he only nodded silently. “ Professor Traven denied my request for my experiment.” the young woman began. “ I’ve been in Mzulft for the last month and a half, working towards getting my mirror thesis to work. What I didn’t account for was a temporal rift opening when I filtered too much starlight through my device. It malfunctioned, rather spectacularly I may add, and left me with these three here.” Tarrowlyn pointed to the still raw scars on her face and Dahlia’s lower lip quivered. It was easy to see that her mother was getting emotional knowing that her only daughter had been in so much danger. “ I threw up a barrier just before I was blasted with all the magicka that had been contained in the device, but it’s thrown my use of it out of whack. Maybe it’s because I’m still pretty much drenched in the ether?”   
  
Dahlia finished setting the splint and she came to join her daughter on the settee, eerily quiet all the while. Tarrowlyn knew part of it was absorbing the information that she had just given her, but that part of it was abject rage. As a High Mage of the College of Winterhold, Dahlia had been trying to abolish the archaic rule that refused assistance in a somewhat dangerous situation. That very rule had nearly cost Tarrowlyn her life.   
  
Farkas gauged the older woman, all the while looking between mother and daughter. Tarrowlyn clearly took after her father though he had no idea what the man looked like, as her hair and eyes were a drastic opposite of her mother’s. When it came to many of the expressions that he had seen in the last two days, she was Dahlia’s spitting image. It was as if he were seeing doubles as Dahlia’s brow pinched in ire, her mouth pursed tightly into a thin line, and her coal colored eyes glowered as she stared at the wall unseeing. Dahlia had long chestnut colored locks and a very svelte build to her. Back in his time, the high mage would have been thought nobility at a first glance. Well, at least part of a jarl’s court for certain.   
  
“ What was that little exchange between you and Farkas before you started telling me what happened?” Dahlia’s voice was low, the inquiry delivered so that it was obvious it wasn’t as much of a question as it was a demand.   
  
Tarrowlyn looked over to Farkas again and he shrugged. There was no getting around this. While they had spoken briefly about keeping his true origins secret, they had also agreed that they would try to be as oblique as possible if any questions arose. Tarrowlyn had told her mother that a temporal rift had opened, she hadn’t said anything about Farkas being pulled through it. Dahlia was sure to worry the point like a dog would a bone. Tarrowlyn sighed heavily and she looked her mother in the eye, a sure sign that she was serious. “ I was alone in the oculary when the explosion happened Ma. Farkas was pulled through the anomaly.”   
  
The realization that dawned on the matriarch’s face was priceless and Dahlia looked at Farkas in an entirely new light. “ You were pulled to this time? From the past?” she asked breathlessly.   
  
With a nod, Farkas answered the older woman’s stunned inquiry. “ My brother and I had been ambushed by and were in the middle of fighting some Stormcloaks when I suddenly found myself on the floor of the dwemer ruin.” Farkas replied gently. He heard the unspoken question there of what time he had come from, and he couldn’t help but smile as Dahlia looked to Tarrowlyn in excitement at first and then dismay. _Like mother like daughter. Tarrowlyn had the same reaction, in the same order._ Farkas thought with a soft chuckle. “ Tarrowlyn’s already promised to work as quickly as she can to getting me back to where I came from. I trust her word on that.”   
  
Dahlia looked between the two, utterly bewildered for a moment. In essence, Tarrowlyn’s experiment had succeeded, just not in the way she had planned. As her mother, Dahlia had been privy to the ins and outs when Tarrowlyn had been in all the design and research phases of her project. She hadn’t been made aware that Holmar had turned down her daughter’s request however, as Dahlia had been on leave for the last three months. Iliana had pretty much threatened to fire her and then rehire her after a few months if Dhalia hadn’t taken some much needed time off.

She had expected Tarrowlyn to have contacted her. Dahlia would have been there with her if that were the case. “ Why didn’t you tell me, Tarrowlyn?” she whispered.

“ Arch Mage Aren made it clear I was not to contact you at all concerning my experiment.” the younger mage said softly. “ She threatened me with expulsion if I did. Besides, after that whole Ancano incident, you needed the time away. I still can’t believe that he thinks that you have some sort of connection to the Psijics. Even after thousands of years, they’re still as reclusive as ever.”

Dahlia chuckled as she weighed Tarrowlyn’s words. That was most definitely something that Iliana would do. “ I see. Farkas, follow me. You’re not leaving the house. You still need to rest after that much of a blood loss, especially considering that you had the knife embedded in your leg for as long as you did.” She got to her feet and Dahlia leveled the tall man with a look that made him freeze in place.

Farkas swallowed hard in his nervousness. Tilma had given him and Vilkas that look more times than he cared to count while they were growing up. She still did for that matter…

Dahlia pointed a finger to the stairs. “ You’re going to get cleaned up, I’ll resize some of my son’s sleepwear for you, and then you will be laying down and resting. Tarrowlyn and I will only be gone a few hours at worst. She’ll be getting some rest as soon as we’re back too.” A groan made the high mage turn towards her issue and she smirked victoriously. “ I already know what you’re thinking, Tarrowlyn, and it can wait until both of you are feeling better. Besides, I need to figure out how to restore your magicka. Until I do, you _will_ be sleeping.”

Farkas couldn’t help but chuckle at the disgruntled look on Tarrowlyn’s face. She looked so put out by her mother’s directive that he found it absolutely comical. Without warning, Dahlia’s finger was right at the end of his nose and Farkas went cross eyed as he tried to focus on it.

“ The same goes for you. Get upstairs, now.” the matron of the Dragonheart family ordered.

Farkas’ face fell as he looked down nervously at the high mage and his gaze flitted over to Tarrowlyn as if pleading for help. She only smiled and shrugged with one shoulder. It was a clear way of her saying ‘Just listen to her.’ His eyes went back to Dahlia and his throat swallowed reflexively again. “ Yes ma’am…” he acquiesced meekly. Farkas had a bad feeling about what the matriarch would do if he tried to say no.

Dahlia smiled smugly, completely satisfied with her victory. “ Good. Tarrowlyn. Stay right there. I’ll get Farkas settled and then we’re going to head into town.” While her hopes had been dashed that her daughter had brought home a romantic attachment, Dahlia was happy to have both of them here regardless. Tarrowlyn didn’t make friends easily, as she went into hermit mode far too quickly when she got engrossed in her studies. The fact that they were already as close as they were was a good sign that Tarrowlyn might have a chance later on after all. _Just admit it, Dahlia. You’re just happy to have someone here to mother._ she thought with a small giggle. She followed Farkas up the stairs, just happy to not be alone in the manor again. Lakeview was a lonely place to be by oneself. At least now Dahlia had company for a little while until Tarrowlyn figured out how to send Farkas back.

Farkas waited at the top of the steps for Dahlia to join him and he followed her as she lead the way to a room. He deposited the knapsack on the bed for a moment and his eyes lit up when he saw an armour mannequin in the corner. “ Ma’am, if it’s alright, I’m going to put my armour up on the stand first.” he said softly.

Dahlia nodded as she turned to exit the room. “ That’ll be fine, Farkas. I’ll go grab those pj’s and be back in a jiffy.” she said with a grin. The matriarch of the Dragonheart Clan hummed a little tune as she walked purposefully for one of the other spare bedrooms; Mikhail’s room more specifically, and she reached into the chest of drawers for the articles of clothing that she was looking for. She enlarged both of them for the moment, but she would have them fitting comfortably once he put them on. Walking back to the room that she had put Farkas into, Dahlia’s brow furrowed as she looked over the clothing in her hands. She was starting to wonder if she had made them big enough on the first go. “ Let me show you where the bathroom is and I’ll leave you to it. I need to get Tarrowlyn to the hospital if she hopes to have any chance at her arm being right ever again.”

Farkas was silent for the most part as Dahlia led the way through her home to the next room he would need. “ Tarrowlyn wasn’t able to show me what all those knobs and buttons were for back in Riften. The matron at the tailoring counter gave her a rather hard glare when she tried to follow me in.” he chortled. They both had laughed that one off after they had set out from the lakeside city.

Dahlia snorted in her mirth as she opened a door. “ I can imagine so, given how it may have looked outwardly. Nonetheless, my bathroom is nowhere near as complicated as theirs. Most of those extra dials and buttons were for khajit and argonians.” she began, all the while pointing to the single dial that dominated a space of its own on the stone tiled wall. “ Turn it left for the heat, to the right if you prefer it cooler. This little lever right here?” Dahlia pointed to the spigot, and she saw Farkas zero in on the small, blue tinted pearl that sat there. “ This will change it from a bath to a shower. If you choose to shower, the water will rain down from up here. I think that may be your best bet for that matter, as you might be a bit too tall to fit in the tub properly. Don’t worry about the water going cold either. I placed enchantments on everything to hold the heat. Relax for as long as you like and go get some rest. I’ll make a large supper tonight. I daresay the two of you are going to need it.”

Farkas smiled even as he graced the smaller woman with a curt bow. Vilkas would have been proud of him for remembering his manners. The thought of his twin made his heart hurt a little, as Vilkas was probably beside himself in despair with Farkas’ sudden disappearance. If only there were a way for them to get word to him that Farkas was fine. “ That sounds great, ma’am. Thank you for opening your door and home to me.” he replied somberly.

Dahlia smiled sweetly and she cupped Farkas’ cheek in a motherly fashion, raising his gaze to meet her own. “ Thank you for taking care of my daughter even though she’s the reason you’re stranded here. You have gone out of your way to keep her safe, and for that I am the one indebted to you. Tarrowlyn and I will figure out what is needed to get you home Farkas. Iliana will just have to stomach that I’m coming back to the college sooner than she would have liked because I’m returning to Winterhold with both of you.”

Farkas couldn’t help but chuckle. Tarrowlyn had briefly spoken as to how severe a woman the arch mage could be and he had understood her desire to not cross the dumner mage. “ Tarrowlyn’s become a good friend in a short amount of time. Friends look out of one another. I’m sure if the boot had been on the other foot that she would have done the same.” he replied kindly.

Dahlia’s smile seemed never ending as she puttered about the space, grabbing a few towels from the linen closet and some soaps from under the sink. “ You’re right about that, Farkas. I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy the down time and get some rest. I’ll see you in a few hours or so.” With that being said, she left the bathroom and closed the door behind her to go collect her issue from downstairs.

Tarrowlyn was a bit flushed from pain when Dahlia came back downstairs and she rose to her feet to join her mother at the door. “ He’s all set?” she asked evenly. A small smile turned up one corner of her mouth when her mother nodded in reply and the two women exited the manor. “ Thank the gods you’re not too far from Falkreath and that the hospital is on the outskirts of the city.” A hand rubbing at her shoulders consolingly was the only reply she got and Tarrowlyn turned her green gaze to her mother’s coal colored one. “ I don’t know just how we’re going to get him back…” she admitted, worried. “ The conversion device took me the better part of a year to build and perfect. Not only that, the relic from the fourth era that I used to attune it to that time was destroyed in the blast. What are we going to do?”

Dahlia sighed heavily before she cast her gaze forward. “ I don’t know, my girl, but I will help you as much as I can. I can understand that you and Farkas don’t want many people knowing his true origins, but we will have to bring Iliana and Holmar in on this. They have to know what is going on and we will need their input if we are to have any hope of this succeeding the way we want it to. We can worry more over that later. Let’s make sure you’re hale and hearty first and foremost.”

 

* * *

 

 

It took the better part of three hours, but Farkas was dozing soundly when Tarrowlyn poked her head in to check on him on her way to her room. A soft smile crossed her face as she entered silently and her hand rose to pull the blanket covering him up just a little further. Without warning, her wrist was snatched in midair and a breathy gasp escaped her as Tarrowlyn was suddenly yanked down and pinned by the nord warrior. His eyes were intense, with a slight golden cast to them. _Odd._ Tarrowlyn thought to herself as confusion swarmed her mind like a plague of locusts. _I could have sworn his eyes were blue._

The body that she found herself trapped under made heat flare through her own from the proximity. His torso, now that it was completely exposed to her, made Tarrowlyn want to run her hands through the short, tight curls that covered the expanse. His abs alone were drool worthy, packed tightly together under the skin. The borrowed pajama pants hung dangerously low on his hips, showing her the barest of teases as the ebony hair that covered his chest and down his abs formed a single line down below the elastic. Sweet divines! It was as if Mara, Dibella, and Kynareth had sculpted him from stone and had breathed life into the masterpiece above her. While she had no experience with the opposite sex, Tarrowlyn was no idiot when it came to desire. _Well, at least fancying someone...This blows that crush I had on that guy back in Winterhold completely out of the water._ she thought to herself. What she was feeling right now though? Feeling Farkas’ body so snug to hers with so little separating them?

She would be blessed even if this was how she lost the last vestiges of her innocence. Even if it were her last moments on Nirn, Tarrowlyn was more than positive she’d have a smile on her face.

His thumb sliding against the skin of her wrist, testing the softness of it, drew Tarrowlyn from her sudden lusty musings. Despite how strong she knew him to be, Tarrowlyn could feel that just how gentle his grip was on her wrists.“ Farkas...Easy does it. It’s me, Tarrowlyn.” she whimpered softly. The last thing she wanted to do was to startle him or her mother downstairs.

He blinked once and in an instant, Farkas’ eyes were the shade of blue she remembered them being. He realized the predicament that they were in and he froze. The sight of his new friend, pinned against his borrowed bed, the smells that he was picking up, and the feel of her so close was screwing madly with his brain. “ By the gods…” he whispered as he rose to sit on his heels. “ I’m so sorry Tarrowlyn. I’m a light sleeper and…” he began, rambling a bit. He looked off to the side, obviously ashamed with himself for his actions and his eyes rose to meet hers once more. He looked like a whipped puppy sitting there. A very handsome, muscular puppy, as the shirt that he had been loaned was cast to the floor for better comfort. “ I hope I didn’t scare ya.”

Tarrowlyn shushed him gently with a smile. “ I’m fine, Farkas. A little startled, but alright. No harm, no foul. Okay?” she replied. She cupped his cheek with the hand that he had grabbed and Tarrowlyn brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “ I was just checking on you. I’m going to go get some sleep myself, so try to get a little more rest. Believe me when I say you don’t want my ma breathing down your neck to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself. She will mother you to no end like she does to my brother and I.”

Farkas’ fingers curled around hers as his worries ebbed away. He hadn’t hurt her, hadn’t frightened her. He nuzzled her palm as he felt his eyes closing again. He was exhausted after the last few days and he definitely needed the sleep. His body felt so heavy from exhaustion that he began laying down once more.“ No need to tell me twice.” he whispered as one arm wrapped itself over her legs and his head settled in her lap. She smelled amazing, like the purple flowers that abounded over the streets of Whiterun and the rest of the hold. The aroma was drawing him back into a pacified lull. This was aetherius, this spot right here. Her scent, her warmth, the feeling of her fingers gliding through his ebony locks, and her softness were settling a calm over him that he hadn’t felt in years.

 _I’ll stay long enough to make sure he’s fast asleep and I’ll go to my room from there._ She mused with a blush. Tarrowlyn studied Farkas’ profile, which was fairly easy to do seeing as how he was using her lap as a pillow. She hadn’t really looked at him with such scrutiny over the last couple days, but then again, he hadn’t been this close to her for such a length of time.

Farkas’ nose looked as if it had been broken at least once and then had it set wrong before it healed up. As tempted as she was to follow the line of it with her finger, Tarrowlyn kept her nails at his scalp. If he wasn’t fully asleep, she wasn’t going to be the one to rouse him. He had long lashes that curled gently against his cheekbones, and a close cropped beard covered the skin of his face. His lips were full and looked perfectly soft and oh so kissable.

Tarrowlyn was so deep in her perusal of him that she didn’t see her mother standing at the door. Dahlia wasn’t going to say anything, but she thought the situation was quite comical. Farkas certainly had Tarrowlyn out of her comfort zone when it came to men; as that was one of the topics that had been broached while they were waiting to get Tarrowlyn’s arm healed, and the Dragonheart matron was both excited and apprehensive to see where this went. If they were unable to send Farkas back to his time after all, Dahlia was all for having him in the family. She could see just how much of an effect that he had on her daughter already, as she had never seen Tarrowlyn so enthralled by a man before.

Sure there had been the apprentice carpenter in Winterhold proper, but that was nothing compared to what Dahlia was witnessing right here.

If something did happen between them and he went home, Dahlia knew, just knew, that Tarrowlyn would be beyond devastated. There might not be any sort of rebound for the heartbreak that seemed inevitable.

As quietly as she could, Dahlia closed the door fully as Tarrowlyn’s eyes began closing. It was so endearing to watch the two of them in all honesty, to know that they were so comfortable around each other that they could do something like this already. While she was worried for her daughter, there were some things a mother couldn’t interfere with. Who was she to tell them not to find comfort with one another when they had already garnered such a rapport between them? The only option Dahlia had, either way, was to be supportive. Whether it lead to heartbreak or happiness, only time would tell.

* * *

 

 

Farkas’ nose woke him first. Initially, all he could smell was flowers, specifically the purple ones that were all over town. The smells of freshly cooked food began waking him a little more as the aromas wafted in from under the door and his stomach growled a little. Of course it would wake up at the first scent of food.   _What’s that one flower called again?_ he thought to himself as he curled up a little. He wasn’t ready to get out of bed just yet. That was until he felt nuzzling against his chest, which brought him to full wakefulness as his eyes snapped open in surprise.

A cascade of red was the only thing he could see, but he could feel Tarrowlyn’s arms wrapped around his abdomen and her warm breath against his skin. Farkas remembered pulling her into the bed and pinning her when she was surprised him earlier, and he hazily recalled that he had inadvertently kept her pinned when he had laid down in her lap. Farkas chuckled softly at the turn of events now that he was the one pinned to the mattress. Even now, it was clear she wasn’t letting him go. Gingerly, he brushed the crimson locks to the side to look at her. The thought that she didn’t realize how lovely she was crossed his mind once more. She was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

And now the first to share a bed with him while they were still clothed.

The scar on the left side of her face didn’t look near as inflamed as it had earlier in the day, but it was clear that the healer she had seen was unable to heal it fully. He liked it though, as it gave her face character, though her eyes did that enough. Farkas had never seen such green eyes on a nord before. The smell of food became stronger all of a sudden; more than likely Dahlia had opened up the oven, making his mouth water and his stomach whined for sustenance. Farkas smiled even as he shook his head against the pillow. There was nothing for it. He needed to wake her up.

Besides, he needed to use the facilities.

Farkas gently cupped one cheek and his thumb caressed the skin there. “ Tarrowlyn...Tarrowlyn, wake up.” he whispered. His voice was still thick and husky from sleep, and the reverb of it made her tremble against him. Farkas couldn’t lie that he enjoyed knowing that little fact, that she liked the sound of his voice like this even if she were asleep.

Her face scrunched up as if she were trying to stave off Farkas’ rousing, and she sat up suddenly once she had processed just where she was. Tarrowlyn’s wide green gaze looked over to Farkas, startled, and she opened her mouth to apologize. All it took was a simple head shake and Farkas swung his legs over the side of the bed to stand up. She looked down at the single sized mattress and she blushed deeply. She must have been crowding him on the bed! “ Seriously, that cannot have been comfortable.”

Farkas scooped the discarded shirt from off the floor and he smiled as he shook his head before pulling the garment on. “ Believe it or not, that’s the best I’ve slept in years.” he admitted. His blue eyes were soft and glimmering like gemstones in the low light. “ You smell just like the flowers that grow all over the hold. The tall, purple ones I mean. I guess that smell made me feel like I was home.”

Tarrowlyn felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes and she got off the bed to give Farkas a hug. _Seriously though, that warmth is addictive..._ she thought with a small smile. “ It's lavender by the way, well, lavender and dragontongue to be exact that you're smelling. It's a soap that my ma's made ever since I can remember. As for feeling like you were back at Jorrvaskr, you’ll be back there before long. I won’t stop until I can replicate what went wrong and I’ll get you home to your brother and your shield siblings. I gave you my word that I would.”

Farkas smiled and he nuzzled the top of her hair. “ And I trust that.” he replied. Farkas pushed Tarrowlyn towards the door and she chuckled. “ Right now my stomach is getting mad at me and whatever your ma has cooking down there smells good.”

 

* * *

 

 

The two walked down the stairs into the main hall, talking softly amongst themselves all the while. Tarrowlyn instantly went on the alert when she saw the lighting of the main hall and she looked around in confusion. “ Ma?!” she called out, her tone alarmed.

“ Yes Tarri?” came the sing song voice from inside the kitchen.

“ How long have we been out?”

Farkas didn’t realize anything was out of the ordinary until Tarrowlyn asked that question. Sure enough, the main hall was darker because the sun wasn’t hitting the windows on the western side, but he could see a few beams of light coming in from the open double doors on the second level. It was hard for any light to clear the mountain before noon, but it looked like it was nearly that time. The clock on the mantle showed that it was ten minutes to twelve on the nose.

“ Three entire days. I daresay both of you needed it.” Dahlia replied, a broad grin on her face as she brought out a large tray to deposit on the table. It was piled high with some of Tarrowlyn’s favorite meats and her mouth watered for it. “ I figured if anything was going to wake you two up, it would be the smell of good food and the whine of empty stomachs. How’s your magicka feeling Tarrowlyn?”

Tarrowlyn concentrated on summoning a blade, and she smiled as a dagger glimmered to reality in her hand. “Everything’s back to normal and flowing the way it should. Looks like I had a case of aether poisoning just like you said.” she said, banishing the blade after a moment. Her brow furrowed as she looked to her mother’s back as she bustled back into the kitchen and she looked over to Farkas. “ Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll help my ma being everything out.”

Farkas shook his head as he began following Tarrowlyn into the kitchen as well. “ I’ll help. This way all of us can eat faster.” he countered. 

Tarrowlyn shrugged, but she held her arm out to keep him out of the way as Dahlia came into the room with a steaming pot of chowder that made her mouth water. She hadn’t had that chowder in months! “ Ma, has Tanaris returned home yet?” If it had been three days, her mare had to be home or at least nearby.

Dahlia smiled once more as she passed her daughter to bustle back into the kitchen. “ She came back yesterday. I’ve already treated her wounds and she’s been lazing about in the stable. I also put your blade on the usual mantle in the foyer.” she called out over her shoulder.

Farkas saw Tarrowlyn’s shoulders sag in relief for her mount and he patted her shoulder sympathetically and with a smile. Tarrowlyn had been beside herself with worry for the mare since he had come into her company.

Tarrowlyn gave him a grin as the silent sentiment and the three of them made quick work getting the veritable feast that Dahlia had prepared set onto the table. It was nearly just as quick that Tarrowlyn and Farkas started lighting into the food. Her appetite surprised her all things considered, as Tarrowlyn normally didn’t feel this hungry. _Okay, maybe that’s not that true. I’ve eaten my weight in food before after a week or two of neglecting myself when I get super heavy into research mode._ she thought to herself.

The look on Dahlia’s face was one of contentment as she watched the two. Farkas kept peppering his feasting with comments of gratitude and praise and he reached for the tankard of mead that had been set before him a few moments ago. After draining nearly half the contents in a single go, Farkas looked between Tarrowlyn and Dahlia. “ Please tell me both of you can cook this good.” he pleaded.

It was nearly sacrilegious to admit it, but this was better than Tilma’s cooking.

Tarrowlyn nearly snorted in shock as she put a spoonful of chowder into her mouth and Dahlia leaned back in her high chair, her head thrown back in laughter. Oh, the many ways that statement could be taken! Tarrowlyn’s reaction had been priceless! Finally Dahlia nodded as her wiped tears from her eyes. “ Yes, Farkas. I did make sure Tarrowlyn knows how to cook. There’s a few things that she makes that I can’t wrap my head around, but it’s delicious.” the matron replied. She looked over to her issue, who had nearly choked on her food at the inquiry, and Dahlia smirked knowingly. They had not let go of one another once over the last several days. There were many that would argue that she hadn’t been doing her duty in separating them, but Dahlia didn’t give a damn as to what anyone had to say. Tarrowlyn was a grown woman, and both of them were a damn good judge of character.

In Dahlia’s estimation, it was high time that Dibella had kicked her daughter in the seat of her pants to finally notice a man!

“ Good to hear. I’ll be stayin’ with her when we all go to Winterhold. This way we can share cooking duties.” Farkas said nonchalantly.

This time Tarrowlyn did choke, but it was on her mead rather than food. “ What?! I thought we talked about you staying with my mother while I returned.” she sputtered out after a moment. Her cheeks were crimson at the thought, but it didn’t repulse her. Not in the slightest.

Dahlia shook her head after taking a deep drink from her own mug. “ I’m coming back to help you with this endeavor, Tarrowlyn. Iliana will be cross for sure, but she’ll acquiesce once she learns of Farkas’ origins and what you’re hoping to do. I know for a fact she will. Besides, I will not be having my youngest child in danger of losing her life again. Holmar was a fool to send you off to Mzulft on your own.” the Dragonheart matron countered, near vehemently. Her brown gaze settled onto her daughter’s emerald one, as if daring her to defy the directive that she had issued.

Tarrowlyn was about to argue the point, but in all honesty having a learned mage like her mother in her corner would be more beneficial in the long run. It would put the Arch Mage, the Senechal, and the council of mages in her corner for this project, and their wisdom and expertise would be invaluable. “ Only the arch mage and the senechal are to know Farkas’ true origins. I don’t trust a certain part of the council to not try to take him before we can get him home.”

It was Farkas’ turn to nearly choke on his food. “ Just what do you mean by that?” he asked.

Tarrowlyn scowled as she looked down at the table. “ I hate necromancy out of all the schools of magicka that can be taught. The dead deserve their rest and as such should not be awoken. If the so called Scions of Arkay were to learn of your true origins as coming from a past age, well, death would be slow for starters. It would all be in the name of science for them, with little regard to someone’s pain and suffering. Ma and I have already crossed blades with them once.” Tarrowlyn answered softly. “ I wish the Vigilants would have obliterated them when they had the chance.” she finished with a hiss of contempt.

Farkas gulped down his mouthful of chowder. “ Dare I ask?”

“ They had to gall to bind my sons’ spectors. Tarrowlyn and I were forced to put them to rest all over again.” Dahlia’s voice held the same soft rage that Tarrowlyn’s just had and Farkas looked between the two women. No wonder they held a deep seated hatred for necromancy. “ What Tarrowlyn didn’t say out loud is that they would be doing all sort of heinous experiments on your person, both while alive and dead. They don’t care Farkas. Trust me when I say that. It took the Arch Mage’s intervention for them to quit their testing on deceased family members. Even then I don’t think they’ve stopped.”

Farkas had the grace to go pale at that explanation and he nodded in understanding. “ Lucky for me that I don’t get drunk easily.” he said, hoping to break the tension. It worked to an extent, as both women snorted derisively. “ Besides, I think I can keep my trap shut. I told you once already I don’t trust mage types. I trust you and your ma. Everyone else however? They’ll be lucky if I even grunt in their direction.”

That did the trick. Both women, even though the knew he was serious, dissolved into giggles at the thought of Farkas acting like some first generation Atmoran as opposed to a warrior of well renown. Farkas smirked, glad to have diffused the situation in the only way he knew how, and he began tucking back into the food before him.

Sometimes, even if Vilkas didn’t agree, Farkas could use his head to the best possible outcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have read the first story of the series; Rise of the Harbinger, this chapter explains Tarrowlyn's hatred for necromancy and why she was as pissed as she was upon her arrival to Rannveig's Fast. It's a memory that's going to be further explored in Black Wings Unfurled for that matter. I hope you're all enjoying the story and I am so thankful all of you have stuck with me for so long between updates. I've been struggling between trying to keep up with my full time job and my family, on top of trying to combat anxiety and depression. Again, I seriously appreciate each and every one of you. Every comment, jump in views, and kudos gives me the kick in the ass and renews my drive for continuing to write this series.


	4. Preparations and Ruminations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes begin their preparations to leave the manor but they must go to Markarth first before traveling to the College of Winterhold. In the small window of down time, Farkas does a lot of thinking.

Tarrowlyn smiled as her horse nuzzled her happily and she gave the mare an affectionate scratch on the neck. “ I cannot tell you how happy I am to know you’re okay Tanaris.” she whispered into the inky black pelt.

A soft whiny echoed that and Tarrowlyn sighed as she reached for the brush on the shelf nearby. Her mother had mentioned while they had been cleaning up that Tanaris looked as if she had been burned on different areas of her flank and torso, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing, in the forests surrounding the dwemer ruin that should have caused wounds like that. The wounds and damage to her saddle and scabbard had been from fire. Not even a dwemer centurion had the means of blasting flame, just steam and that was entirely different kind of burn.

Even now, Tarrowlyn could still catch the faintest scent of burnt hair and charred flesh.

Farkas joined her at the stable and he put her saddle on its stand. While not as good as Eorlund Gray Mane, he could do a little smithing of his own and make small repairs to leather items. “ I repaired the stitching of the stirrup that we both noticed, as well as the frayed ends that you caught over the saddlehorn. You may want to have an entirely new saddle made in long run though. Even with the minor repairs, this one isn’t going to last much longer. Are you sure there’s nothing that could have caused this? It looks like fire damage.”

“ Short of another mage attacking my horse? I don’t know about that in all honesty, but while plausible it’s far fetched at best. The thing that worries me is where the burns were…” Tarrowlyn traced the clear line of demarcation between Tanaris’ coat and the now healed bald skin. “ I’ve never seen any dwarven machinations outside of the ruins. Not only that, it’s not a steam or an electric burn. You’re right about it being from fire.”

Farkas nodded in return as he saw the wound pattern. “ The blast came from above and traveled up her flank here. I’m amazed that she had the strength to walk home in all honesty. If I had been in her place, I wouldn’t have been able to move.” He commented. Tanaris snorted and bumped his shoulder as if to knock him off balance and Farkas chuckled. “ That was a compliment. I’ll go grab some extra blankets. It feels like there might be a small snowfall tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Tarrowlyn chuckled as she followed Farkas to the door. She needed to grab a few things from the side shed towards the back of the manor anyways. “ Just set them in her stall. I need to give her a bath first. She still smells a little like burnt hair.”

An indignant neigh answered that claim and Tanaris stomped her hooves loudly and irately. Farkas looked between mare and mistress and his brow rose high in curiosity. “ She’s smart.” He deadpanned, looking back over to the mare as she turned in her stall with her rump towards the entrance. It was as if she was trying to tell Tarrowlyn to kiss her ass.

“  Ridiculously so.” Tarrowlyn laughed and she looked over her shoulder before passing by the cold forge and smithing area that dominated the left side of the house on the ground level. “ Ask my ma to have a couple towels ready for me? Knowing Tanaris, I’m going to end up soaked for that comment.”

Once more he chuckled at the thought, and Farkas waved to show he heard her before going in the house. It wasn’t hard to find Dahlia, as she was up on the second level in the east wing library and Farkas knocked on the door frame. Dahlia was standing over a large tome, her brow furrowed as she searched for something amongst the pages. She looked up at him at the sound and her caramel colored gaze met his in silent inquiry. Her finger was marking her place on the page as she waited to hear him speak. “ Two things. Can you show me where to grab a few more blankets for Tanaris? There’s snow on the wind.” He asked

Dahlia grabbed a piece of parchment to mark her spot and she smiled as she walked around the table that was laden with many tomes and scrolls. Farkas was starting to wonder what she was looking for. “ This way, my lad. What was the other thing?”

“ A couple of towels for Tarrowlyn. She’s giving Tanaris a bath.” Farkas replied with a small shrug.

Dahlia chortled as they rounded the corner that led to the bedrooms and the master suite. She opened up a hall door and a smile lit up her face. “ Here’s a few heavy woolen blankets for Tanaris, and a couple of towels for Tarrowlyn. She’s going to need them by the time she’s done with that stubborn mare. I should put out a bucket for her wet things for that matter.” She muttered the last bit under her breath. “ Do you know how to fish?”

“ Yep. I use to do it all the time with my brother when we were still whelps in the mead hall. If it’s still allowed, I can also see about hunting down some game if we need food for the larder.” Farkas replied. He hiked up everything to have a better hold on it and the two began walking for the entrance hall on the front of the house.

“ We’ll need to go to Markarth for a hunting license and the like, besides, I have a friend there that can help me draw up some papers for you. We need to sneak you into the system as it were and come up with a believable reason for why you’re going to be spending so much time in my daughter’s company.” Dahlia opened the double doors for him and she smiled as she saw Tarrowlyn gently scrubbing Tanaris’ withers and she dunked the brush into a large metal tub was filled to the brim with soapy water. She was working her way down the mare’s back to her haunches, and she was whispering the entire time that Tanaris was going to be pampered beyond reason today.

“ That works out, as Tarrowlyn and I need to get my septims exchanged so I can pay her back for the clothing she bought me in Riften. We figured out the excuse was that I found a hidden cache while serving as her bodyguard in Mzulft. In fact, that would be the perfect cover story for why I’m constantly around her now. I can be the bodyguard that you rehired in a fit after finding out she got hurt.” Farkas offered.

Dahlia thought it over as she tapped her chin. “ Which would fall under the realm of believability, considering how protective I am of her, and gives us the perfect excuse to have you around her all the time. Your weapons and armor will have to stay here at the manor for now, but we’ll be sure to replace them with something contemporary that you approve of. Again, yet another good reason to be at Markarth. I think you might well be on to something, Farkas.” Said the matron with a twinkle in her eye.

As much as she knew they needed to try every avenue to send him back, Dahlia would not be averse in the slightest to having him in the family. She was already treating him as she would Mikhail and Tarrowlyn.

The praise in her tone brought a roguish grin to his face and Farkas shrugged his shoulders a little. “ I’ll admit my brother has more of a head for this kind of thing, but I can roll with the punches as needed.” He replied, trying to keep himself humble.

Dahlia opened her mouth to say something, but without warning, Tarrowlyn’s irate shout filled the stillness of the air. They looked over in time to see Tanaris turn just enough; despite Tarrowlyn’s attempts to push her the other way, to make the red haired mage trip over the side of the tub and fall completely into it. Tarrowlyn came up from under the water just as fast, her crimson tresses plastered to the side of her head, as she sputtered in shock.

Farkas and Dahlia couldn’t help it, they quickly dissolved into guffaws of laughter at the sight. That horse was too damn smart for Tarrowlyn’s good!

“ Sweet Mara that water went cold fast!” Tarrowlyn screeched as she tripped over herself trying to get out of the tub. This only renewed the raucous laughter that she could hear from the other two. Once she had gotten out, the younger Dragonheart mage cast a stern glare to the mare, who looked rather smug with her actions. In fact, Tarrowlyn was almost positive that Tanaris was snickering at her if the way she was tossing her head back and forth was any indication. “ Forget the carrots and me braiding your mane and tail.” she deadpanned.

Tanaris snorted a little in her face, blowing a few wet locks backward, before her tongue came out and swept across Tarrowlyn’s cheek in an affectionate gesture. The mage couldn’t hold her temper at that and she smiled tenderly as she pushed some of Tanaris’ mane away from her eyes.

Farkas smiled at the sight, as the love mistress and mare had for one another was sincere and could be seen by even the most daft idiot. Silently, he set the blankets and towels down for Tarrowlyn to grab later on and he turned to Dahlia. “ Just tell me where the poles are and I’ll see about catching some good sized salmon from the lake. I’ll be over on the other side til tonight.” Farkas said softly. The melancholy that was washing over him was powerful and he needed some time to himself. He needed to run free away from prying eyes. The mountain bordering the holds was as good a place as any to do that.

Watching Tarrowlyn with her horse brought back memories of yesteryear of he and Vilkas, before they had joined the Circle and before they had really started going their separate ways on the path of the warrior. There was a time that their bond had been that strong, and they tried to keep it that way still, but their interests varied too greatly nowadays. Vilkas was more of a scholar and historian, especially with old Vignar getting up in the years and Farkas was the brawn. He could throw down with milk drinkers and other big talkers that couldn’t put their money where their fists were. It caught him off guard just how much he missed his brother just because he was watching Tarrowlyn with her steed. The crux of the matter was that he did.

Very much already.

Once he had everything he needed, Farkas set out towards where the three standing stones where. That would be the fastest way to get to where he wanted to and he made good time.

 _Just an hour. I just need one hour to run free._ He thought to himself. Farkas hadn’t had the courage to tell Tarrowlyn and her mother what he truly was. There was a stigma against his kind in the fourth era and he doubt that much had changed in the following eight ages. He would be hunted by the Vigilants if they knew what he was.

That Farkas was moon born. A werewolf.

Crossing the water was easy enough, as someone had built a small bridge before the rapids. Finding a decent spot for now, Farkas set down the fishing gear and he began running further into the forest and up the mountain side. His eyes slowly shifted from blue to golden as he caught the scent of an elk and he smiled predatorily as he came to a complete stop. This was as good a place as any and he wouldn’t be seen this high in the forest. Faster than lightning, he stripped out of his clothing, leaving it tucked away against the roots of a nearby spruce, and he took off running once again, this time barefoot. His footfall was eerily silent as he sped closer towards his quarry.

As he ran, black fur began sprouting over his body. He grew taller, his shoulders broader, and a muzzle filled with razor sharp fangs grew out where his nose and mouth would be. Vicious claws extended from his fingers and toes, and the ball of his foot began morphing into a wolf’s paw to allow him better traction. Farkas had needed to let the beast inside him run free. He had felt it biting and clawing to run, and in his emotionally compromised state, he was amazed he had lasted five days. He transitioned to all fours, running faster, stronger in this form than he could of as a human. Within minutes, he was on top of his prey and Farkas snarled as he pounced.

It was over just as soon as it began.

Farkas let the wolf feast on the elk, but he made sure to keep the time in mind. He needed to get back to that tree so he could dress again and then he needed to get a couple of fish for the table that night. While he was doing that, Farkas planned on doing a lot of thinking. It might make his head spin a little, but Vilkas nor Kodlak were here to put things into perspective for him any more. He had to do this on his own. When the beast was finally satiated, Farkas trotted back over to where his clothing was and he felt the transformation begin waning. _Just in time._ he thought with a wry grin. Dressing was monotonous enough and Farkas allowed his mind to wander.

There was plenty that had to be done before they could even go to Winterhold. There was getting him into some sort of system that Dahlia had mentioned. That could be some sort of life and death log used to keep track of people. There were certainly more around now than there ever were in his time. Before they had been beset upon by the bandits in the mountain pass, he and Tarrowlyn had been talking about depositing the funds he would receive from his septims into a banking account. This way he wouldn’t have to hold all of it on his person in the form of coin.

It might not hurt to have at least one hundred or so on the side just to be safe. His coin pouch held just under seven hundred due to the payment that he and Vilkas had received while doing a job in Kynesgrove. In the event Farkas was returned back to his time, it might be right back to the spot he was plucked from near Mzulft. He wanted to have enough to take a carriage back to Whiterun from Windhelm.

Even with the new boots, his footfall was near silent as Farkas continued his ruminations while going back down to the shore line. Without a word, he picked up his pole, baited it, and cast his line out over the water before taking a seat against the grass.

Was there any sort of work that Farkas could do here in the meantime while Tarrowlyn was working on her magic thing? While he could read, write, and do some math, Farkas didn’t have any sort of formal education. Tarrowlyn had talked about having been through primary and secondary school before she was accepted into the mage’s college.

What if he was well and truly stuck here with no way back to everything he knew? Was there really anything here for him to fathom living out the rest of his days here?

An image of Tarrowlyn, her face bronzed by fire light as she laughed before taking a sip from her bottle came to the front of his thoughts in an instant, surprising Farkas with the intensity of the feeling he already held for her.

She was beautiful, intelligent, and fierce. She was also genuine, and had done everything in her power so far to keep him as comfortable as possible over the last week. Well, they had been asleep for about half of it, but still the fact of the matter stood that Tarrowlyn was the kind of woman any man would be honored to be on his knees before. Depending on how things went, Farkas couldn’t help but wonder if he could even stand a shot with her. She was a mage though. Surely she would want someone like herself.

 _“ I always wanted to be a companion…”_ Tarrowlyn’s words from their first night traveling together rang through his mind and Farkas’ brow furrowed a little. He felt a small nibble and he twitched the line just right to get the fish to bite.

It worked like a charm, because he landed a huge salmon for his efforts. If he could catch another one like that, Farkas might make it back to the manor before night fall.

Still, those words echoed through his head, and Farkas stared ahead into space. He was no stranger to matters of the heart. Mara and Dibella had yet to offer him the blessing of finding true love though, and he was relatively convinced that he’d die in a blaze of glory before getting the chance. Either way, he wasn’t actively looking nor was he waiting on the same note. If it happened, it happened.

Even then, he had never felt this strongly for a woman so soon or so fiercely. The pull Farkas felt to Tarrowlyn was intense, but natural at the same time. It was as if she filled something that he hadn’t even realized was missing with just her presence. Despite his situation, Farkas felt whole around her. She had even quieted his beast and they had slept three entire days in each other’s embrace. That had never, ever, happened before since he had become moon born. Farkas wanted to believe it was the rush, because he was experienced with that. He had courted one or two women in the past after all. But now? Every thought felt as if it kept coming back to Tarrowlyn. His heart thundered at the sight of her smiles, his happiness was more complete when he heard her laugh. Her touch was gentle and assuring even as it made his blood race. Her embrace made him feel as if he would be warm even in a blizzard. Everything he was feeling towards her felt so powerful, so right that Farkas didn’t want to be away from her company long.

What Farkas might have been scared of the most was just how much of a hold such a tiny little woman held over him already and how much he wanted to lose himself in it. In the end, he knew there was nothing for it. If something did happen, Farkas knew deep down he couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to. Tarrowlyn felt like home, where or when she was didn’t matter to him.

The end result would break both of their hearts, he knew, but Farkas would rather mope about for a while having explored how much he cared for her and having that returned than to live out the rest of his days regretting everything that could have been.

 

* * *

 

Tarrowlyn exited the bathroom while toweling off her hair later that afternoon and she looked over the barrister into the main portion of the hall where the dining area was. By the look of things, Farkas had not returned yet. Well, it was a long walk back considering he went to the other side of the lake. Maybe that place held memories or he remembered it to be a good fishing spot?

Walking down the stairs, Tarrowlyn looked around her ancestral home as if in a day dream. Would her predecessors have ever known that the base of their great manor still stood, even today? The second floor held four spacious bedrooms, two baths, and the master suite dominated the left side over the kitchen. To the right was the library that was filled floor to ceiling on two walls with books and a few computers. It overlooked both the lake and the greenhouse ever since the manor had been expanded. Towards the front of the manor, over the entry way, was the magical laboratory and it held an adjoining door to the library for quick reference. The arcane enchanter, the staff enchanter, and all the lab equipment necessary for potion making were in there along with a hearty stock of ingredients and soul gems. The right side of the bottom floor held a gorgeous kitchen that was the living wet dream of any aspiring gourmet, and the left was a completely glass encased greenhouse that had been extended out and over the rocky ledge. Two bathrooms and an office were also on the bottom floor, as those had been added over the years. The cellar was accessible from the armory, though cleverly hidden, and it was primarily used for storage. Her fallen father’s and brothers’ things were still kept there for now, but they had been laid to rest in full armor in the family crypt years prior. The armory itself was seated on the back of the house, which had held the staves, blades, armor, and shields of the clan since the fourth era.

Besides wanting to learn more about the truth behind the civil war that had nearly torn Skyrim in twain, that was the big reason for Tarrowlyn’s delve into trying to create the Histomirror. Now she would have to start from scratch all over again, but she had a leg up this time. Building the device would take her only a quarter of the time, especially since she had the skill to machine all the parts herself. Not only that, she would make more than one now that she knew it worked. Tarrowlyn just needed to know what had gone wrong at the oculory. Had she turned up a single dial too high?

The front door to the manor opened and Tarrowlyn stopped in her tracks as Farkas walked through the double doors leading into the main hall. She had seen how sullen he had looked when leaving the property today, and her breath caught in her chest at the smile he cast her when his stormy gaze met hers. That smile reached his eyes and Tarrowlyn couldn’t help smiling in return even as her heart thundered in her breast.

Oh Mara and Dibella save her…

“ I’m back.” He announced softly.

Tarrowlyn took his catch from him and she allowed her fingers to trail a little longer than necessary over his skin. Her hands lingered with his a moment longer when he didn’t pull away.  “ Welcome home…I mean back! Sorry…” she replied sheepishly. Her cheeks stained pink at the verbal faux paux and she cast her gaze down to the floor in her embarrassment.

Farkas’ palm settled against her cheek, and the warmth of it combated the heat in her face as he gently guided her gaze back up to his once more. “ Home is good…” he whispered as he leaned in.

Tarrowlyn felt her heart race even faster, despite the fact that she closed her eyes in preparation. Despite the fact that her lips barely parted to welcome his. It terrified her just how much she wanted to feel this man’s kiss, but Tarrowlyn felt as if she needed that kiss if she were going to draw her next breath.

“ Tarri? Was that the door I heard? If Farkas is back he needs to get an overnight bag prepped for when we go to Markarth!” Dahlia decreed from upstairs. She hadn’t left the library yet, so had not been privy to what was going on down below.

Her mother’s voice seemed to jolt her out of a stupor and Tarrowlyn jumped back as if struck by lightning. Her gaze was worried and confused as she looked Farkas in the eye, and her mouth open and closed like a fish gapping out of water. “ Yes Ma, he’s back and we both heard you. I’ll pack after supper. I’ll cook tonight!” she called out, though by some miracle she kept her voice steady. The look in Farkas’ eyes was something that thrilled and scared her at the same time. It reminded her of a wolf gauging its prey and he looked like he wanted to devour her.

Oh sweet divines help her, Tarrowlyn knew deep down that she wanted to be devoured.

Farkas watched the petite red head all but jet into the kitchen. The wolf in him wanted to chase down this new prey, but neither of them were in the mood to be interrupted again. Still, Tarrowlyn’s flight response had only engaged his predatory one, and Farkas grinned. He could tell that whatever this was between them, it was not one sided in the slightest. His beast knew this was an entirely different kind of prey, that this one wasn’t for eating. This one was for chasing, savoring.

Tarrowlyn might not realize it, but she had the world’s biggest target sign on her now.

Farkas went upstairs for now. This was a game of cat and mouse now, which tickled his humor as he was a werewolf. The first stop was into the bathroom to wash his hands, and the second was to the room he was using for now here at the manor. He pulled out the pack that Tarrowlyn had purchased in Riften and he began filling it with at least two days worth of clothing. It was better to be safe than sorry after all. His thoughts turned back to the almost kiss in the main hall and Farkas’ eyes softened in tenderness. It was comforting to know if things went to shit in trying to get him home, if he was unable to return home at all, that he had someone to look forward to. Tarrowlyn had wanted Farkas to kiss her just as much as he had wanted to in that moment. It could definitely wait for now. He had no intentions of letting this lie from here on out. Timing would be the deciding factor though. It would have to be when they were alone.

The only downside was that there was no telling when that would be.

 

* * *

 

Dahlia walked down the stairs while looking over a preserved piece of vellum that had writing on it. “ Tarri, are you busy at the moment?” she asked as she walked towards the kitchen.

“ I got my hands full, Ma. What’s going on?” Tarrowlyn replied as she looked over her shoulder. She had managed to neatly push back the feelings over what had nearly happened for now, but the young mage knew that she would need to sort them out before long.

“ I found something interesting while I was researching things from the fourth era. Look what name is down here. This is the original contract written by Jarl Siddgeir to Thane Dragonheart. Look at the name on here!” she exclaimed. Dahlia was not only excited about the name. She was excited about the find itself. Tarrowlyn was sure to share in that as soon as she realized their sudden fortune.

Tarrowlyn turned down the heat on the stove top before wiping any oils and grime from her hands on her apron. Gingerly, she took the vellum in hand and she read it over. “ Thane Tarrowlyn Dragonheart? Yeah, Pa found this years ago too from what he told me when I was ten. He loved the name and told me often I was named for the ancestor that started our line. I always kne….” Tarrowlyn began and then her eyes brightened in realization. “ This is the original contract from the fourth era! It’s enchanted for that matter, hence how it’s still in one piece!”

“ That means we have something that we can use to attune the machine with!” Dahlia finished exuberant. “ I can have a copy made when we go to Markarth in the morning. Jerra with have no trouble with that, plus he has the means of making it as official as possible.”

Tarrowlyn threw her arms around her mother and the two women bounced around in a small circle in their shared excitement. That was the scene Farkas walked in on and he looked at the two confused.

“ What’s this about needing something from the fourth era?” he asked before grabbing a bottle of mead from the refrigerator.

Tarrowlyn stopped and she handed her mother back the vellum before returning to the stove. “ Do you remember me talking about the contraption I built that exploded? The one that caused the anomaly that brought you here?” A nod answered her along with a muffled ‘Mmhmm’ as Farkas took a drink from the bottle in his hand. “ Well it needed something from the time I wanted to look at to attune to if my experiment stood any hope of succeeding. I was worried because the machine also destroyed the item in question, even if very little of it was left, but in the end I didn’t have anything to use on hand to get everything going again. Now, Ma’s found the original contract for the homestead that was given to my ancestor when she purchased it from the Jarl! It’ll take me about three months to rebuild the machine! That’s it! And from there I can try to recreate the anomaly to get you back home Farkas!” she explained, even if it was more excited rambling than anything.

Farkas absorbed what she said like a champ even if it was fast and excited and he took a long drink from his bottle. “ If you needed something from the fourth era, why didn’t you just ask me? Everything I arrived here with is from that time.” he inquired earnestly. “ In all honesty, I can part with the armor, so save your heirloom. That was the entire reason I saw the smith when I got measured. I had commissioned a new set to be made.”

Both Dahlia and Tarrowlyn stopped dead in their tracks and gave one another a deer in the lamplight kind of look. They hadn’t even thought to ask Farkas to use anything of his. Farkas saw the shared look and he threw his head back in laughter at them. For as smart as they were, they hadn’t really covered all their available options. Dahlia chuckled a little at first when Tarrowlyn snorted, and without fail both of their laughter joined his. The tension that had lingered with Tarrowlyn evaporated in that instant for that matter.

If all went well, it wouldn’t be long at all until her promise was kept!

“ Nonetheless, it won’t take near as long for me to get you home as we initially thought,  Farkas!” Tarrowlyn exclaimed happily as she took her pan off the heat. Heartache stabbed her even as she said it, surprising the younger mage with the sheer agony of it, but Tarrowlyn said nothing and tried to show no outward reaction. Farkas would be happy about that, right?

While he was smiling, it wasn’t quite reaching his eyes as he looked at her. His gaze looked confused, worried even. Why would he look like that at hearing that it would take less time?

“ That sounds great.” Farkas said thickly after a few moments, although it was covered up with a long drain from his bottle. That was not as much of good news as it was supposed to be. He should be happy, as Tarrowlyn was going to be able to pinpoint what went wrong faster and then she would send him home to when he belonged. He’d never see her again or hear that laughter. Farkas knew that he would never see eyes as green as hers ever again. He’d miss everything about her. That thought hurt.

A lot.

“ I’ll be outside on the dummy run for a while...Call for me when supper’s ready.” Farkas drained the last of his bottle and he walked towards the stairs to get his sword from the weapon rack in his room.

Dahlia stayed silent through the exchange, though both their reactions had not gone unnoticed by her. Neither of them were happy with the idea of him going back so soon. There was nothing for it though. Farkas couldn’t stay here longer than a year or else the very fabric of time and space might be torn from events not being completed as they were supposed to be. “ I’ll be back up in the library, Tarri. I’m knee deep in my research right now and I still need to pen Iliana a letter to appraise her that we need a meeting upon our return to Winterhold. We have a week at most before we need to return to the college. You and Farkas may well be going to Markarth on your own tomorrow so that I can keep working on what I’m doing.” the matriarch said as she walked towards the main hall.

Tarrowlyn hadn’t asked her mother just what she was researching, and her curiosity was definitely piqued. “ Just what exactly are you looking for, Ma?”

Dahlia smiled sadly. “ I remember your great grandmother telling me stories from journals the first had kept. How she had kept detailed accounts of the treasures that she had found, which included not one, but three elder scrolls. I’m looking for clues as to where they could be just in case we need to look at other means of sending Farkas home. So far, everything just keeps pointing to the Throat of the World. More specifically the Grey Beards.”

Tarrowlyn nearly dropped her stirring spoon in surprise. The Grey Beards were a reclusive lot, just like the Psijics, though as far as they knew no Dragonheart had ever had contact with either sect. Well, it seemed as if that line of thinking was very far from the truth indeed. “ The Grey Beards?! That requires a trek to High Hrothgar! It’s not that far from here either on the same note.” the last part was added quietly and Tarrowlyn began stirring thoughtfully. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like **_she_** had to be the one to walk the seven thousand steppes. “ I’ll make the pilgrimage after we return from Markarth. This is my responsibility in the end.”

Dahlia nodded silently as she began walking back to the library. She needed to gather as much information as possible for Tarrowlyn in the two or three days that she and Farkas would be gone. Not only that, she would pen a detailed letter for Jerra with what they needed for Farkas. But before that, Dahlia grabbed a soul gem and she walked through the door to the lab. Attuning the gem to an orb on the center of the back wall, Dahlia smiled when her daughter in law Hela and her six year old granddaughter Misha came into view. “ Hela. Can you hear me?”

“ I hear you Ma. Mikhail is in the other room. Misha, go get your pa.” Hela said with a smile as she looked towards the mirror. “ It’s been a while since you’ve contacted us this way. What’s going on? It has to be important.”

“ I need Mikhail here tonight if possible. I know it’s a three hour drive from Markarth, but it’s important. He’s on leave right now anyways as he’s recuperating, right?”

Hela nodded and she rolled her eyes. “ He’s so ready to return to work he’s driving me mad. Getting him out of the house for the night will be perfect. Did you want to tell him or should I just pack an overnight bag and kick him out again?”

Dahlia snorted in her mirth and she looked at the faint glimmer of the soul gem. She had maybe a minute of time left as it was just a common one. “ I’ll let you kick him out. It keeps him humble and in line. Thank you my dear for being so understanding. Maybe you and Misha can come visit me in the next few weeks? We’re going back to the college soon and Misha keeps talking about wanting to see all the magic.” Dahlia said as she saw her granddaughter come running into the room.

She didn’t see Hela shiver strongly at the mention of the college.

“ Hi Gran-gran!” the young girl exclaimed as she jumped up in front of the mirror.

“ Hello my little love! I don’t have a lot of time to talk today, but I can tell you that Aunt Tarri is back home for a little while and you’re going to see her very soon!” Dahlia cooed lovingly. Her heart always pitter pattered when it came to Misha and the high mage reveled in being a grandmother to such a wonderful little human being.

Hela nodded in understanding even as she picked up her daughter to set her on her hip. “ Aha. I’ll prepare the one of the guest rooms for Tarrowlyn then.” She didn’t want to show it in front of her mother in law or her daughter, but Hela was worried. Something was coming and it concerned the mage’s college. What it was, however, Hela could not discern. She only got feelings of things.

This one was clearly an omen.

Dahlia held up one finger and she waggled it from side to side. “ Actually, Tarrowlyn is going to be traveling with a Companion. You’ll need to set up both rooms. I would love to talk more, but I have quite a bit I need to ready tonight before Mikhail gets here. I promise you we’ll talk more soon though.”

Hela nodded and she shifted Misha’s weight a little before giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead. “ We understand Ma. I’ll tell Mikhail he needs to head over to Lakeview as soon as possible. We love you!”

Dahlia smiled sweetly and she blew both of them a kiss. “ I love you as well. Goodbye for now!” The connection went dark just as soon as she had and Dahlia hurried back into the library. She needed to get to work!

Mikhail entered the room just as the mirror lost the image of his mother and he looked to his wife. He was fairly tall, just over six foot, and he had broad shoulders like his pa had when he was still among the living. He had ruddy red hair, nowhere near as red as his sister’s of course, but he had their ma’s eyes and face. Mikhail fancied himself to be quite a handsome and strapping man for his age, considering he was nearly thirty after all, and he was just entering his prime. “ What did my ma need, Hela?” he asked as he crossed the room. He took Misha from her and the little girl smothered his cheek in kisses. He laughed a little, and Mikhail blew raspberries against her neck. Misha’s bright laughter rang bright and loud in his ear as his beard tickled her, and Mikhail set her down once more. “ Bath time, little fairy. Go on now.” His sword arm was almost back to full strength thanks to his own brand of physical therapy.

Keeping up with his young daughter.

Hela gave her husband a kiss as well before cupping his cheek. “ You need to make haste over to your mother’s. Tonight. She couldn’t give me any details over the crystal call, but Tarrowlyn’s back from Mzulft. There’s something big brewing, husband. I’m not so sure I like the feeling I’m getting.” Hela whispered.

Mikhail nodded simply and he returned her kiss. Hela had an amazing intuition. “ Is it extreme unease or is it just small right now?”

Hela sighed as she looked at the mirror. “ It’s small for now. I’m worried about later on though.”

Mikhail looked at the darkened mirror worriedly. The last time Hela had gotten a feeling like this, his brothers had been killed. She had old magick that ran through her veins, but in minute amounts that she couldn’t use it herself. This kind of foresight though? It was right every single time even if all she got was a feeling. “ What else did Ma say?”

“ They’re going back to the college soon. Probably in the next few days or else she’d be here with Tarri as well.” Hela whispered as she rubbed her arms as if to warm herself.

Mikhail pulled Hela into his embrace and he kissed her lovingly. “ We’ll roll with the punches as we go, love. I’ll pack an overnight bag and get over there. I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow with my sister.”

Hela smiled fondly. Mikhail’s loving warmth always banished the chill she got when her gifts activated without warning. “ I’ll see the three of you then. Ma said Tarri has a new traveling companion.” Her hazel eyes dilated wide and she smiled broadly as euphoria made her feel a little punch drunk. “ The two of you are going to get along famously. That’s good to know that this feeling isn’t associated with whoever your sister’s new friend.”

Mikhail mirrored her smile as they began walking from the room, and he began wondering about this mystery person. Had his sister finally brought home a man for their mother to approve of? He doubted it, but one could hope. Misha was splashing in the tub already and Mikhail decided he was going to finish cleaning her up and tuck her in before he left.

It didn’t take long for him to finish things up at home and Mikhail left Vlindrel Hall, a home that had been in his family for ages upon ages, after giving his wife one more loving kiss goodbye. There was a parking garage for those like himself that had magicars near the stables and Mikhail put his overnight bag in the backseat before climbing into the driver’s seat. During the drive, his thoughts turned to what had happened to place him on medical leave, and his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly enough for his knuckles to turn white.

Mikhail still hadn’t told Dahlia or Tarrowlyn what had happened to cause the injury that had nearly taken his arm. He hadn’t told them that the night he had been on watch for the Tomb of the Fallen, the final resting place of the Dragonheart clan since the fourth era, someone had broken in and he had tried to apprehend them. The blade that had clashed with his had been a summoned one. He hadn’t even told Hela all the specifics, but once he had come to and he had at least stunted the bleeding wound in his arm, Mikhail had noticed some bones were missing from his father’s crypt and the stone casket that was supposed to hold the remains of the first was broken and empty. The stone casket was only there for show, as the first of their line had been Harbinger of the Companions and had been laid to rest fully in the tomb of Ysgramor. It wasn’t on paper whatsoever to prevent mishaps like this.

He knew he had to tell them. Mikhail wasn’t sure how or when.

The manor was dark save for the library when he arrived, and Mikhail entered silently through the front hall in case if everyone was sleeping. A small spring snow had just started lightly falling when he pulled up, and he kept his footfall as quiet as possible as he moved towards the stairs.

“ We already know you’re here, Mik. We’re all awake, just in the library.” came Tarrowlyn’s voice from above.

Dahlia was writing furiously at her desk as Tarrowlyn sorted the books on the table into piles. His mother didn’t even look up to great him and Mikhail groaned. How had his mother settled into this state in just a matter of hours?!

“ Thank the divines you’re here. Maybe you can help me kick her out of here for the night. She only came down for supper and then she was back at it again. I already broke the enchantment that she normally uses to keep things from being put away, and now we just need to get her into bed.” Tarrowlyn said wearily. She pointed over to a slightly dazed man that was sitting in the chair looking as if he was just coming to. “ He ran right into her barrier when he came up to check on her.” The apple did not fall far from the tree where she was concerned. Tarrowlyn had the same bad habits when she got like this.

Mikhail crossed over to the man as he was close enough and he held out his hand in salutations. “ I’m Tarrowlyn’s brother Mikhail.”

“ The name’s Farkas.” He replied. There was a bit of dried blood coming from his nose and Farkas rubbed at it. He hadn’t been expecting that. It was like walking into a thick glass door! He took Mikhail’s offered hand and the man helped him up to his feet.

“ Named for the famed Companion of Jorrvaskr then?” Mikhail asked with a grin. Hela had been right that they would get along well.

Tarrowlyn chuckled as she shook her head. She was shelving the books at this point. “ Not exactly.” She said and Mikhail gave her a confused look and she looked over to her mother and then to Farkas. With a shrug, Tarrowlyn nodded to Farkas to continue and the man chuckled.

Dahlia was going to be pissed she missed it, but she wasn’t letting anything derail her at this point in time.

Farkas clapped his hand on Mikhail’s shoulder. “ Let me try that again. I’m Farkas, a Companion of Jorrvaskr and member of the Circle under Kodlak Whitemane.” he said clearly. Tarrowlyn’s brother went white as if he had seen a ghost and his jaw dropped in shock.

Without warning, Mikhail’s brown eyes rolled up into his head and he fell backwards, unconscious.

The thunk of a body hitting the floor snapped Dahlia out of her frenzied writing state and she turned around. She screamed in shock at the sight of her ashen faced son laying there unconscious, and she looked between Tarrowlyn and Farkas as they gasped for breath from laughing too hard. “ I thought we agreed I’d be able to watch his reaction!” she cried out in dismay.

That only made them laugh harder in the long run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we meet Mikhail! Even if it is brief, we also get a small glimpse into his family life! That does it for the Dragonheart Family for now.


End file.
